Jackie came to the Domestic Violence Support Center (DVSC) when she was 23 years old. She had relocated from a rural community in the South with her 9 year-old son partly to escape his abusive father, and partly to be able to access resources that she knew were more readily available in an urban environment. Jackie had dropped out of school at age 14 when she had her son, wanted to get her high school equivalency (GED), wanted to live independently, and wanted her son to have opportunities she didn’t have. Jackie entered one of House of Ruth’s transitional housing program and got to work.
Today, Jackie is 33 years old and has been in counseling since that first day she walked into the DVSC to ask for help. Her oldest son graduated high school, completed basic training, and is now stationed abroad serving his country as a Marine. Jackie herself has completed her GED and is working part time. She successfully exited House of Ruth’s transitional housing into her own subsidized apartment, allowing her to support her three other children (now ages 9, 8, and 5) while also continuing to focus on her education and career goals. When asked why she keeps attending counseling after all these years she says, “I would never skip that. It’s the one thing I could never forget about.”