Meet the founder
My story is really His story
Twenty years ago, I had no address. But Jesus knew where to find me.
Meet the founder
God provided all three, one door at a time.
Twenty years ago, I found myself experiencing something I never imagined would be part of my story: homelessness. I could not see it then, but looking back, I can see God's handprints throughout my journey. My family needed a place to stay, I needed a job, and I needed a way forward.
He led us to a transitional home on Ross Avenue in Dallas, where my family found more than a roof over our heads. We found a safe place to begin rebuilding our lives. Catholic Charities of Dallas helped me obtain my green card and authorization to work. The facility had a workforce center where I could search for jobs, and a first-class childcare facility where my five-month-old son could learn and grow while I focused on finding employment.
God also placed volunteers in our lives who helped us create a budget and held us accountable as we learned to make better financial decisions.
So many people, so many ministries, woven together by God, carried me until I could stand on my own.
Twenty years later, I serve on the board of directors of the very facility where my son took his first steps.
At the time, I saw individual acts of kindness. Today, I see God's faithfulness in every provision, every person, and every open door. I did not know it then, but I was experiencing the very kind of support I would one day feel called to provide for another woman.
God was preparing my heart
Years later, God brought me full circle.
For the past four years, I have had the privilege of volunteering with a discipleship program serving men and women recovering from drug and alcohol addiction. Through this experience, I have witnessed the life-changing power of the Holy Spirit as people surrender their lives to God and begin to discover hope, purpose, and a new way of living.
I have watched God restore relationships, redeem broken places, and remind people that their past does not have to determine their future. Over and over again, I have witnessed that God is a God of restoration.
But one conversation with a resident changed the way I saw the needs of women transitioning out of recovery. She shared her uncertainty about what would happen when she completed the program. Where would she go next? How would she get to work, attend appointments, or manage everyday responsibilities without reliable transportation?
As I listened, her questions stayed with me. I thought about my own journey years earlier. I remembered the transitional home, the resources, the volunteers, and the people God had placed in my life to help me rebuild. I knew firsthand how much those resources mattered.
And I began to wonder. What happens when a woman is ready to move forward but is not quite ready to navigate independent living on her own? What if there could be a place where she did not have to figure it all out alone?
The difficult chapter I once lived through was becoming part of my calling. And in June 2024, Oasis Women Center was born.
A bridge to a new beginning
I want Oasis to be a place of hope.
Oasis Women Center exists to help women transitioning from substance-use recovery move toward sustainable independent living in a safe, Christ-centered environment. We want Oasis to be the bridge between completing a recovery program and building a sustainable, independent life.
Through practical resources, life skills, financial literacy, employment and educational support, transportation connections, accountability, and community, we want to help women take their next steps with confidence.
But more than providing a place to live, I want Oasis to be a place of hope. A place where women can rebuild their confidence, discover who they are in Christ, and begin to believe that their future can look different from their past.
Because I know what it feels like to need someone to help you find your next step. Someone once helped me. Now, I want to help another woman find hers.
You are part of the story
If you are reading this, you may have a part to play.
You may have time to volunteer, skills to share, a heart for mentoring, or the ability to help with transportation and essential resources. Perhaps you can donate furniture, supplies, or financial resources to help make this vision a reality.
Whatever you have been given, you have an opportunity to use it to make a difference in the life of a woman rebuilding hers. They will need someone willing to say, "Keep going. God is not finished with you yet."
Ultimately, this is not my story. It is His. He opened doors for me when I did not know where to turn. He provided when I did not know how I would move forward. And now, I believe He is inviting me to help open doors for women who are still finding their way.
Because someone once helped me, I know the difference that support can make. Now, together, we can help someone else.
With gratitude and faith,Keisha OrtizFounder, Oasis Women Center