A shelter story

SHE STOOD in front of me with only the clothes on her back and said, “I don’t know what to do.”

But she had already done it! She had found the courage to walk into the YWCA and ask for help.

Once a successful business owner, she now struggled to share her painful story of having loved a man who no longer referred to her as Maggy, but as idiot, stupid and crazy.

Alone and isolated from friends and family, she had left him but found herself without a job or even a roof over her head.

While scrambling through her purse, in tears, she found a flyer she’d picked up days before. It talked about domestic violence, and it sounded a lot like her own story.

That’s when she’d decided to call the YWCA 24/7 crisis line.

At the shelter, Maggy was immediately embraced by an advocate who walked with her on her journey. Her advocate provided new clothing and toiletries, and when she asked, helped her file a protection order.

Maggy was offered a warm and safe place to stay where she could focus on the healing process as she continued to share her story. By the following week, she was already connecting with an array of community resources and beginning her journey towards independence and believing in herself again.