Stories of Grace: Harmony, Jax, & Levi
Harmony, Jax, and Levi at the Hope for Tomorrow campus in March 2026.
In honor of Mother’s Day this year, we want to share the story of one very special mom we know - Hope for Tomorrow’s Residential Manager, Harmony!
SVCM established the Hope for Tomorrow program in 2018 as a supportive housing program for single mothers and their children at risk of becoming unhoused. Beyond housing, the goal of Hope for Tomorrow was to give these at-risk mothers opportunities to help their families thrive by building skills like financial literacy, goal setting, career readiness, and more.
In the eight years since Hope for Tomorrow’s founding, many families have come through the 18-month program. Few families have been with Hope for Tomorrow longer or exemplify the program’s vision more than Harmony and her two boys, Jax and Levi.
Harmony and her boys came to Hope for Tomorrow in early 2020, before the pandemic. “I was in a very tough situation,” Harmony recalls. “It [Hope for Tomorrow] absolutely transformed my life.” With housing secured, she says, “this was my chance to focus on being a mom.” Each apartment at Hope for Tomorrow has a local church sponsor and Harmony’s was Christ Community Church. “A few women [from the church] came down and offered me support like I’d never had before - support and kindness,” she says. Hope for Tomorrow gave Harmony opportunities for personal growth, as well. One of the program staff noticed she liked gardening and helped her set up a small garden of her own on campus. Harmony also started volunteering regularly in the community. “It really gave me confidence and self-love,” she says.
Harmony, Jax, and Levi at the Hope for Tomorrow campus in March 2026.
Not long after moving in as a resident, Harmony noticed a lot of needs around campus and started jumping in to help the staff. After four months, Harmony was hired. She is now Hope for Tomorrow’s Residential Manager. “I wear many hats in this job,” she admits. In addition to property management, Harmony offers support to families in residence. “I’m like a cousin or sister to them. I help them with daily tasks. A lot of our stories are the same, so I can really relate.” Harmony enjoys being a trustworthy person in moms’ lives. “I love supporting the women and creating a bond so they can trust somebody,” she says. “Some women who come into the program don’t trust anybody on the planet.” The hardest part, though, she says laughing, is “when they don’t trust me.” But even if a mom-in-residence isn’t reaching her milestones, Harmony still looks for ways to be supportive.
Levi sledding with kids-in-residence in January 2025. Photo by Harmony.
Hope for Tomorrow has been good for Jax and Levi, too. “[My kids] have found support and community. If there’s one thing they’ve learned, it’s how to be a good friend.” And through their friendship, Jax and Levi have given back even more to Hope for Tomorrow. “When we first came, kids didn’t play outside and nobody would talk to each other, ” Harmony recalls. The boys became Hope for Tomorrow’s welcome committee, trying to make friends with new kids and do fun stuff together, like building forts and looking for salamanders in the creek. “I made people feel more comfortable and open. I helped them have a fun time,” says Jax, Harmony’s oldest son. “I helped them come outside and get out of their shell.” Jax’s least favorite part is “when kids leave and graduate out of the program,” but he still tries to keep in touch with some of them.
The road next to campus turned into a raging river during Tropical Storm Helene in September 2024. Photo by Harmony.
The family’s journey took an unexpected turn when Tropical Storm Helene hit in September 2024, devastating the Swannanoa Valley and knocking out utilities for weeks. Thankfully, the campus did not flood. Even though it was scary, she recalls, “it pulled us even closer as a community.” Harmony and Jax did whatever they could to help make community meals like deer spaghetti and pancakes over a camp stove. Jax made a bathhouse in a nearby creek and fetched buckets of water to help flush toilets.
After Helene, Hope for Tomorrow kids-in-residence eat deer spaghetti by flashlight, October 2024. Photo by Harmony.
Six years on, having weathered a pandemic and a catastrophic storm, the family is still holding down the fort at Hope for Tomorrow. In a chaotic world, they’ve found a peaceful nook to call home, a place where people have shown them love. And they’ve chosen to love right back, with their whole hearts. “I’m thankful every day to wake up and be here,” says Harmony. “My favorite thing is to be the neighborhood mom,” she says. “Just to stand outside and watch the kids play.”
Hope for Tomorrow campus, March 2026.
