She was homeless for a year. This Mother's Day, she has a place to call home

A year ago, Johnika Jamison said she "didn't even feel like a mom."

She has three daughters, and last Mother's Day, her youngest was just seven months old. But at the time, Jamison's family of five had been experiencing homelessness for several months, with little hope that things would change.

They were separated for weeks at a time, moved around different hotels, and she and her husband even spent a night in their car with the baby.

Jamison, 39, who has a master's degree and was a school counselor for a decade before the family's medical issues led to job loss and homelessness, said she was shocked by how quickly their lives unraveled.

"I felt like a failure to my kids," she told USA TODAY. "It was very hard to see a way out of things. Things were getting so stacked up against me. It was really hard to stay positive."

USA TODAY spent time with Jamison and her family in Charlotte, North Carolina, last year and shared their story in December. The response to the article was overwhelming, with dozens of readers reaching out to help.

Jamison eventually set up a GoFundMe — something she said she'd never considered — and, over Christmas and in the weeks that followed, hundreds of donors raised more than $65,000 for her and her family.

Now, Jamison said it is "not hard at all for me to hope."

The funds allowed Jamison to secure housing for her family in Charlotte. She paid upfront for a 15-month lease, ensuring her kids will have a place to call home for the next year. They moved to their home in January.

"I never expected that to happen," she said, adding that she's kept a folder of all of the encouraging messages people sent her way. "(It) just really touched my heart."

There is no easy fix to overcoming homelessness

Jamison wants to return to counseling and now has a passion to help other families dealing with homelessness. She's had several job interviews but is struggling to hold down a position without child care.

She's still the primary caregiver to her husband with multiple sclerosis and her daughters, who have various medical needs.

"I've got to be able to work, not just because we need money, but because, like, I don't want to be a stay-at-home parent. I don't want to just be a caregiver," Jamison said. "I love my family, and I'm committed to seeing them all in a better place than they are. But I don't want that to be all I do."

Families on the brink of homelessness need the right resources and support systems to reach stability, said Pear Moraras, a senior research associate in the Housing and Communities Division at the Urban Institute.

"A lot of families do fall into the cracks," Moraras said, noting that some assistance programs have requirements that might keep families from getting the help they need.

Jamison has consistently reached out to housing assistance and social services programs, but is often told her family doesn't qualify or she does not hear back at all. One of the only organizations that she said has been helpful is the Queen City Pregnancy Resource Center, where she's gotten free diapers, gas cards, parenting classes and other support. But even with the GoFundMe, Jamison said, her family isn't out of the woods yet.

"And it's not because I'm not trying, because I am trying," she said. "It costs so much to get back on your feet."

This Mother's Day, Jamison is grateful for the simple joys of motherhood

More than the money, the response to her story in December has given Jamison hope.

Before, Jamison said she was just trying to survive. "Now I'm fighting to thrive," she added.

On the Tuesday before Mother's Day, Jamison texted USA TODAY about the simple joys of motherhood she found herself appreciating that morning.

"Listening to my girls getting ready for school and them having room to move around comfortably − not cramped into one room with their baby sister and parents," she wrote. "Listening to the sounds of the local train and feeling so peaceful due to not having to rush and start figuring out how to pay for the next day's hotel stay. Enjoying quiet moments with my baby girl while feeding her breakfast."

Madeline Mitchell's role covering women and the caregiving economy at USA TODAY is supported by a partnership with Pivotal and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input.

Reach Madeline at [email protected] and @maddiemitch_ on X.