Laura Doss started advocating for communities experiencing homelessness since she was 25 years old – before she herself experienced homelessness. She felt drawn to helping these communities and often wondered why society considers them a burden when in reality they were not born without a roof over their heads.
Laura had a difficult childhood. Childhood trauma led Laura to become depressed, drop out of high school, quit her job and she found herself in a cycle of poverty, unable to support herself or her children. Things became worse as she experienced homelessness. She was unable to find the resources to recover. After several years, a doctor at a Hospital connected Laura to a non-profit organization name Interfaith, where Laura received the services she needed to move towards a path of recovery and secure supportive housing through Threshholds. At Threshholds, Laura felt joy and comfort in her home and worked as a staff member.
Today Laura has her own apartment, where she can sleep peacefully. She is part of LEAC and a strong Advocate for supportive housing. She believes that homelessness is not an individual failure and if we do not prioritize this issue of homelessness, we will fail as a society.