Elaine had fled from her abuser and was safely living with her aunt in a different state, until one day she answered the doorbell and there he was. He grabbed her, yelled at her and was about to hit her. Her uncle, awoken by the screams, rushed downstairs and called the police. Her abuser ran. The family then realized that their home was no longer safe for Elaine. She arrived at Our Sisters’ Place unable to control her tears, carrying her two year old daughter in her arms and two bags with a few belongings. She had started a new life and a new job while living at her aunt’s house but now realized she would have to do it all over again. However frustrated, Elaine did not give up. She took advantage of all the services the program had to offer and worked through her pain with councilors and advocates. Her case was opened locally, and she found out she was eligible for daycare if she got a job or went to school. While at Our Sisters’ Place, Elaine took a CNA certificate program four days a week. She soon graduated and moved into Fall River public housing. With money she saved while at the shelter, Elaine bought a used car and now works full time at a local nursing home while her daughter is in daycare. They feel safe again.

Mary

Mary, a 36 year old woman with three young children, resided in her Fall River apartment for two years. Her landlord informed her that there would be a rent increase. So instead of paying $650 per month, she would be required to pay $800. The sudden rent increase made it impossible for Mary to pay the rent on time, if at all. She had lost her job as a PCA and had exhausted her unemployment benefits. The only income she was getting was from a part-time job and $200 in child support every two weeks. She became scared as the bills started to pile up and money became more and more scarce. Just as she feared, Mary soon found herself and her children evicted from their apartment, with no money and nowhere to go. Mary sought help at the DTA office and was referred to the Fall River Family Resource Center in January of 2004. Upon entering the shelter, Mary and her family spent eight months at the center, where she was able to receive assistance in obtaining childcare, schooling for herself and her family, money management, and job training. She was also able to attend weekly educational workshops on parenting, nutrition, women’s issues, and child safety. Mary saved enough money to pay her past due bills and was soon placed in public housing. She left the Fall River Family Resource Center in September of 2004 with a job, housing, and all of the necessary tools she would need to continue to raise her family.

Mrs. Henderson

At age 61, Mrs. Henderson was facing life on the streets. Denied an apartment by the Housing Authority because of past rent due and a lease violation from a previous tenancy with the Authority, Mrs. Henderson had just about worn out her welcome with family and friends.

Mrs. Henderson contacted the Southern Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation (SMLAC) for assistance and an advocate was assigned to review her files and accompany her to a hearing. At the hearing, the advocate showed that Mrs. Henderson had been making good faith payments on her back rent, long after she had vacated her apartment in the mid-1980s. In fact, she owed only $15, which she paid immediately.

Shortly thereafter, the Housing Authority notified Mrs. Henderson that she was eligible for emergency housing. Three weeks later, she moved into her own apartment. This outcome renewed Mrs. Henderson’s independence and self-worth by allowing her the chance to live in her own home.

~ Reflections ~

It was a lonely afternoon; the clock ticked on the seconds…One…Two…Three…
I guess there are just so many times a day one can count to sixty before becoming numb.
Until time is no longer linear; when time and space fold in half and you become the warm hole.
But a warm hole is special. And this day I didn’t feel special.
I felt like death.
I was death.
I was so lonely and desperate, that death was my only confidant.
Screaming silent into the darkness; into the vast emptiness of my soul.
I knew that it was over.
For no more did I feel the need to run, no more the need to hide.
This night, death would become my lover, my friend.
Death would make me complete. And become my mate.
We would take that long walk into forever.
Death was the only thing I could count on. The only thing that wouldn’t let me down.
The only promise that would be kept was the promise of uncertainty.
No one knows what lies in the hereafter, but I knew it would be better
Than the way things were and of this I was certain.

Still, somewhere inside, very deep, very dark, very alone,
Was a small voice, a feeble voice; almost inaudible even to me.
A voice that needed to reach out; a whisper in the dark that so desperately needed and wanted to be heard.
Still, who would listen? Who would care?
Everyone so busy these days, certainly no one had time to listen to yet another person’s “sob story.”
But there was this telephone number; a number I had held on to yet never really knew why…
Until now.
This shattered voice canted; one last chance for someone to hear why…
To hear the reasons why I was choosing my path….why I was leaving the earthbound living hell.
I dialed the number, hung up before anyone answered.
I dialed again, hung up when I heard another voice.
I tried once more. Listened to the hello
Yet said nothing.
I wanted to see if they’d simply hang up on me; hang up on me and my emptiness,
My lack of a voice, my lack of any ability to speak for myself.
They didn’t. “Take your time,” they said…
And I did.
Finally, I was able to force out the words hello.
I heard a warm and friendly, “Hi there.”
They spoke the words, “My name is…and what is yours?”
After a moment of hesitation and not feeling like I was even worth a name, the name said…
“Oh, you don’t have to tell me your real name, I just want to be able to call you something.
What is your favorite, I’ll call you that.”
I responded with, “No one, Nothing, just call me Empty.”
Their response took my breath away…
“Well, do you mind if I call you ‘Someone’? Because there is certainly ‘someone’ on the other end of the phone.”
A tear came to my eye.

This feeble, fractured voice was heard,
And I too was talking to ‘someone.’

My heart grew a feather, then another.
Many different voices and many phone calls later, I had grown a tiny wing, and then another.
The other wing that helped lift my broken spirit, My aching heart, my scared soul, to a place called hope.
And today, this once fractured, feeble voice; this once broken, aching and scared human being
Is able to find her voice and articulate these very special feelings… to some very special people.

Love and sincerity,
C.
March, 2005

Johnny

Johnny is a typical six-year-old boy with Type 1 diabetes. He loves to play with his trucks and dinosaurs, but especially with his brother and friends. Johnny also couldn’t wait to begin first grade this year. Because of his diabetes, his parents, John Sr. and Tracey, wanted to make sure that all the safeguards were in place at the school since they knew there had never been a student with diabetes there before. The school needed in-service training for all faculty and staff, backup supplies and a 504-A protocol plan that would ensure Johnny’s safety in the classroom. Typically, both parents would work together on getting all the safeguards in place, but John Sr. is a Major in the U.S. Army and his unit is currently serving in Iraq. They turned to the Diabetes Association (DAI) for help.

The DAI was able to help the family by providing the school with everything that was needed: back up supplies, in-service training to all faculty and staff on handling diabetic emergencies, and a session on the proper method of checking blood glucose levels was provided since the school had no full time nurse. The DAI’s Youth & Family Program Director accompanied Johnny’s mom as an advocate in developing the 504-A protocol plan. In a holiday thank you note from Iraq, Johnny’s father wrote, “Just wanted to thank you all for your support while this soldier is off to war. My family’s welfare, especially Johnny’s, is my top priority and your efforts are much appreciated.”