Just six months ago, Rita* was a resident of A New Start, one of House of Ruth’s scattered site programs for women who are survivors of domestic violence. In our scattered site programming, clients receive rental assistance at a level based on their income, as well as case management, group counseling, and life skills support.
Rita formed a strong relationship with her case manager, and she was empowered to take advantage of all the resources available to her through House of Ruth. Rita found the space to begin healing from trauma through one-on-one counseling at our Domestic Violence Support Center. Counseling helped her to cope with feelings of grief, loss, and depression. She also actively participated in psychoeducational groups on domestic violence. Rita learned more about developing healthy boundaries and the dynamics of healthy relationships. She is continuing to live a life that is free from domestic violence, and she has developed a healthy support system for herself.
When Rita arrived at House of Ruth she did not have a job, but her main goal was to take over the lease of the apartment unit she moved into, and to become financially independent.
Rita is in her sixties, and although she was out of the workforce for a long time, she hit the ground running. Staff assisted Rita with building her confidence through resume writing and practicing interview skills. We referred her to a federal agency that had a job opening, and Rita’s preparation paid off. She was hired!
Rita continuously worked hard and saved her money. She also attended our financial literacy trainings and received debt remediation support. Staff coached Rita on developing a good rapport with the landlord, and today she is proactively and effectively advocating for herself as a tenant.
Rita achieved her goal! She took over the lease of her apartment, and by the time she exited our program six months ago, she had saved $4,000.
We are so proud of Rita for believing in herself and putting her goals into action to reclaim her life.
*Name has been changed.