A Spring Valley family is leaving the past behind and focusing on the road ahead after a local nonprofit and car dealer donated a vehicle to them.
Streets of Hope San Diego gave Michelle McClintic and her three daughters the new set of wheels Friday. It was an emotional moment for a family that was homeless for two years and only recently got off the streets.
McClintic is currently employed but has had to walk an hour to her job at an area McDonald's. The car, which was donated by Auto Advantage in Escondido, solves multiple problems for her.
"My general manager was concerned because a lot of the Spring Valley walkways, there’s really nowhere to walk and I faithfully walked to and from work," McClintic said. "This car is going to help me take my children to school."
It will also give her peace of mind regarding her children's safety.
"My oldest daughter she walks a mile every day to get on the school bus without me — to build more safety and security for my kids having a vehicle makes it to where I can take them myself."
Streets of Hope founder Dan D'Amato said these types of gestures are what it takes to break the cycle of homelessness.
"Somebody like Michelle who walks to work every day and then spends two to three hours sometimes on the bus going to other places she needs to go to — it's really a game-changer for her," he said.
