Community Homeless Solutions has collected stories from survivors who have given their permission to share them here. We exercise caution so as not to expose a survivor’s full name and/or location if their abusive partner remains a threat. Calls, information request and clients are always confidential.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SURVIVOR
SUCCESS STORIES
SUCCESS STORY #1
The shelter helped me by providing a roof over my head. Before I came to the shelter I was homeless and waiting on housing. The program here has a lot of resources that help me with the housing search and employment. Not having a place to live while I am on waitlists for housing was very stressful on me. Now that I am here at the shelter I am less stressed and I feel very safe in this environment. I always thought shelter would be scary. Having this experience changed my mind on shelters. The only issues I had at the shelter were not having transportation and not having child care. I had to reschedule a appointments so that I have transportation. Other than that the shelter provides everything I need. I love that they provide me thing my baby needs.
Marina Emergency Domestic Violence Shelter
SUCCESS STORY #2
Community Homeless Solutions has helped me and my family in such a way that we now have warm clothes and a roof over our heads. They have also helped me with other resources so I can get my kids enrolled back in school and get school supplies. When we had to leave our home, we also had to leave behind all the things we own. Clothes, toys, photos, albums, blankets etc… But thanks to the shelter, my babies now have a couple more outfits and are enrolled in their new school. We are currently in the process of looking into a more permanent housing situation and into moving to a new city.
Marina Emergency Shelter
SUCCESS STORY #3
This program has helped me a lot. It has provided me with the help I need. I needed listings of apartments/houses for rent, openings of section 8/CHISPA programs. It has provided me with applications for childcare. It has provided a roof over my head and relieved some stress. The push of the workers has helped me get back on my feet and stay positive about my whole situation. Without their help I probably would have spiraled downhill with depression. This helped me keep my spirits up.
Salinas Emergency Shelter
SUCCESS STORY #4
I found the road to a new better life that is what this program has done for me. I never expected to get such a great opportunity. I feel like I ran out of breath these last three years. I have been wanting something else for a while now and I finally found a way to make me a better person. I want to learn how to be alone. After foster care I met Jose and I have been with him since. I never had the chance to learn who I am. Even in foster care I couldn’t be myself. So many different families from different backgrounds….I couldn’t be myself, I had to be a lot of things to adapt to the new family. With him I wasn’t myself, I was his. I couldn’t be something he didn’t want. Now I have the chance to be me, to finally get to know if I really like certain things or if I thought I did so I could please someone. I can finally take care of me. I was able to get started through Community Homeless Solutions. My case manager helped me with the pregnancy test all the way through to school supplies, which I am very thankful of. I am very thankful for this program and my hopes are to work in a children’s clinic. I know where I can start working towards this goal and hope that any other girls that come here really open up to staff and help themselves.
Salinas Emergency Shelter