Struggling with abuse and addictions, at age 30, Paula was referred to the YWCA through the Community By-Names list and adult shelter. Paula was sleeping on the street and ally ways to avoid the adult shelter in town as she had been clean for about one month and did not want to risk using again.
Once Paula was offered a room at the YWCA, she expressed her gratitude for finally having a safe space to call hers with a door that locked and a warm bed. After years of struggling with addiction and different treatment options that were not successful, Paula informed us that she had been accepted into a 19-day drug treatment program. She was informed that we would hold her room for her at the YWCA so she could get the necessary support needed for her addiction.
Paula, for the first time ever, fully completed the 19-day drug treatment program. She was so proud of herself for being able to see this through. She returned to the YWCA on Christmas eve. When she entered her room, she was overwhelmed with the fact that there were gifts left on her bed for her to give to her two children for Christmas who were not in her care.
Paula was able to connect with her Case Manager to set goals for moving forward, she submitted housing applications, worked on building her self-confidence, and built positive meaningful relationships. She continued to have access to her 2-year-old son through supervised visits.
April 12 was a very exciting day, as Paula was offered a three-bedroom townhouse that she could move into on June 14. This would give her a chance to have her very own home and to work towards obtaining shared custody with her son. While waiting to take possession of her home Paula’s case manager was able to access different funding sources through the YWCA to assist her with furniture and moving needs.
Once Paula moved, her case manager checked in with her, she responded that she is feeling great and loving her new home. She is overjoyed with all the support she received to furnish her new house and feels like life is really moving forward in a positive way thanks to all the support she received over the last 8 months.