I'm grateful for and agency such as Families In Crisis, Inc. that continually provide services in our community for those that are experiencing violence and need shelter or advocacy while trying to be safe and reclaim or rebuild their lives. They have been instrumental and supportive in housing many survivors of domestic violence and homeless in this community.
I lived here for four almost 3 months in 2005. It was unbearable. The AC did not work at all that summer. My children and I shared a room with another family. It would get so hot in that room at night I couldn't breath. I ended up buying a fan and placing it between our bunks to help cool down the room and when I left the staff tried to take the fan away from me. There was no privacy and no locks to safe guard your few belongings. Often other woman would sneak in rooms that weren't theirs and steal. I had to carry everything of value with me in a backpack were ever I went. Still after I left I found out someone at the shelter had used my social to get electric turned on. Then there was the crazy people they let in who had criminal history! OMG who lets a felon stay in a DVS anyway? What I remember most about being here was that we were always hungry. The woman in charge of the food pantry would only allow us to get one can at a time per family at lunch and dinner. The meat that was put out for us never streached to feed everyone. The worst part was that the food each family would get with their foodstamps became community property and or ended up being locked away in the food pantry. When I first got my foodstamps I bought cereal for my children and milk which was taken from me immediately when I got back to the shelter and put in the kitchen. I was told they could have it in the morning but the next morning when I went to feed them the other residents had ate it all. I only brought things in then at supper time from then on to make sure my kids had a chance to eat. Even then I was expected to share with the other women who had no problems eating food meant for my children. Another woman got in trouble because her child would go to the kitchen door when we were locked out and cry because he was hungry. We were always locked out of the kitchen. We got 30 mins to cook, eat and clean in for each meal. And if you had children you had to have someone watch them or you weren't allowed to use the Stove or Microwave. The room I was in flooded apparently every time it rained. It flooded so often there was black mold on the walls which scared me as my son has asthma really bad. The bathrooms were dirty... so dirty I got a staph infection in my big toe from using the shower. The staff was often very cruel to me and my children. I hated the way they treated my son who was just barely 4 at the time. They would yell at him and say inappropriate things. They would deny me giving him his medicine or make a production out of having to give it to him. Once they even refused to give me a pass to take him to the ER when he was violently ill. We were not allowed to listen to music or watch TV. Its such a little thing but children really miss cartoons. Also the first few weeks we were there my children were the only kids and the staff didn't allow them to play in the playroom or even bother to tell me they had one. Then when they did allow us in the play area they accused my son of stealing a car which he did not....I had bought it for him because he had absolutely no toys and they told me when we arrived that the toys were given out only on special occasions like birthdays. Then because I refused to give them the car I had paid for they wrote me up (you get kicked out after three write ups). While staying there I witnessed the staff taking home the donations meant to go to the residents and then when I did manage to get out of the shelter into a new home of my own my transitioning family pack consisted of a rotted sofa that was left out in the rain and springs were broke on it, a fry pan, a wooden spoon, 2 each plates, cups, bowls and silverware (there was 3 of us! and the staff told me they only give out two and that I should let the kids eat first and then wash a plate for myself), and we were given one futon cushion for all of us to sleep on together (it was by far the grossest thing I have ever seen yet it was our bed for months after we left and we slept on it all winter long together on the floor)....all this after I witnessed staff taking home TVs and DVD players, boxed dish sets and wall art...ect. Oh well. I could go on and on. There is no salvation here....your worries actually get worse. If you are lucky enough to have good family call them first and use this as your very very last option to staying off the street. I wish I had a family.