Previously without a home, woman now helps other Detroiters get back on their feet

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan had lots to talk about during his State of the City address.

Despite the progress he noted, he said there was still much to improve upon.

"We want to be a city committed to creating job opportunities for everyone," Duggan said. "While that sounds like a slogan, we have to rethink everything we have done. Because we are going to have to reverse 70 years of city history."

Part of that commitment meant creating new opportunities for people struggling with housing. That's when he mentioned the name of Pam Hart, who Duggan believes exemplifies that kind of promise.

Hart fell on hard times years ago when she lost her job. Going from sleeping in her car to sleeping on park benches, she lived without a home for a year and a half. To compound that struggle was her depression. 

Then she was approached by a member of the Central City Integrated Health, a nonprofit that provides food, clothing, mental health services and shelter for people in need.

"He was like, "I got a place that's going to be openning up pretty soon, it's called Charlotte Apartments,'" said Hart.

Built in Midtown, the complex was constructed with the intention of helping veterans and the homeless get back on their feet.

"So now I have furniture, food, heat, gas, water, electricity and first of all, my keys," said Hart.

But the success didn't stop there. She now works at the same nonprofit that helped her get back on her feet.

"I pray for all the sick, the shut-in and the homeless and pray that they find a place like myself," said Hart.