My name is Marta. I live at the shelter. The kids at school say I am homeless. I don't think that is true. I have a place to sleep at night. I tell them that the homeless sleep in parks and on the street.
My mom, brother, and I came to the shelter six months ago. Our apartment building burned down. Our car burned, too. Now my mom can't work. So, we had to come to the shelter. We didn't have anywhere else to go. When my mom goes back to work, we will get a new home. She is taking classes at the shelter. Soon, she will get a new job.
I go to school near the shelter. Every day the bus comes to pick me up. My brother comes, too. When I first came to the shelter, the kids teased me. It's better now that I've made some friends. My friend, Lisa, lives at the shelter, too. Sometimes I go to my friend Sam's house after school. Sam can't come to the shelter, though. It's only for people who stay there. Someday Sam will visit me in my new home.