Discovering her voice
It’s 2:30pm and Diana is hurrying from her job at a local salon to be home in time to meet her son when he gets home from school. For the two of them, home means our emergency shelter program, where they arrived late one winter evening with nowhere else to go. “It was so cold and windy,” Diana recalled. While waiting for her son to arrive, she talked about coming to Casa Myrna. Although there weren’t any rooms available, our advocates made sure she and her son had a safe place to sleep until a room became available. The night on the living room couch wasn’t the most comfortable, but they were safe, and for that, Diana was extremely grateful.
Soon a room did become available and the two of them adjusted to their new home and routine. She continued her work as a hairdresser, and began working with our supportive services program advocates to plan for life “after shelter.” She credits them with helping her with budgeting and managing her money, offering parenting strategies, starting the housing application process and providing a safe and nurturing group to discuss her experiences with domestic violence. “I didn’t know that there were so many services for survivors of domestic violence available,” said Diana.
Next we switched to a subject closer to Diana’s heart than any other: her eight year old son. When she talks about him, her face lights up with a mother’s unconditional love. “He is the engine that moves me,” said Diana. He is thriving at school and Diana can’t say enough about him. “If it wasn’t for [the advocates], I don’t know what I would have done,” Diana confided. “Now, I’ve gained some confidence in myself, security for me and my son, and stability,” she added.
Diana has big goals: she hopes to own her own salon one day and be able to help others. “I want to give back a little of what I’ve received,” she reflected. Diana attributed her safety and her ability to rebuild her life to speaking up. “I was silent for a long time because I thought I could take care of my own situation, but I couldn’t. So don’t be quiet, speak up,” she emphatically urged.