Rebirth
Here in this place it’s like I was reborn.
I got a second chance, trust me what I am telling you. Before I came here I didn’t see any reason for living. So many workers at other shelters would work with me but I would never open my heart to them. I didn’t even want to have contact with them, even though they were nice and professional, I just couldn’t open up to them.
What changed that when I came here, I still wanted to stay in my bubble. I would hide from everyone, especially from the Transitional Housing Support Worker (THSW). It became harder and harder to avoid the THSW because she continued to make appointments with me, even though I would not come to these appointments. The THSW would see me in the hallway and would get me to come into her office and speak nicely to me. The THSW had so much patience and I finally saw sincerity in her eyes. The THSW kept trust in me and telling me that I can do anything I put my mind too. Because I would avoid everything in my life all other workers that I have worked with in the past would say to me, “Jessica, I do not know what to do with you”. The THSW never said that to me, she just encouraged me and told me on a continued basis that I can do this thing called life. I then realized I had life to live.
Before, I was not living I was surviving but here at Armagh, I am living. Every time I want to give up because another hurdle has come my way, some way the THSW inspires me to continue.
The past 17 years, I have never had anyone in my life that believed I could do something with my life. Then I came to Armagh and they kept telling me that they trust in me and continue to tell me that I can do it. Even in my country, women are toys and I did not matter there. It wasn’t until coming to Armagh that I began to believe in myself because of the staff here. I have noticed that every staff member at Armagh works here because they love what they do, not because they have to be here to be paid.
For any woman that is broken and cannot believe in herself, the place for her is at Armagh.