CEO Update 3.18.21

Join me to celebrate Ruth’s journey to freedom
A Client Success Story from one of our Case Managers

Each client has their own path to safety, freedom and healing. One client’s journey, we’ll call her Ruth*, started after more than thirty years in an abusive marriage. One day, Ruth decided she would leave this relationship, and she chose to move to the furthest state she could get to: Idaho. Ruth often joked that the only thing she knew about Idaho was the potatoes. She expressed that her lack of understanding or connection to this state made her feel safer, and she knew that her husband would not be able to find her here.

Ruth left her family, life-long friends, spiritual community and thriving career. She arrived in Idaho with limited funds and a small map of Boise. Ruth connected with a local shelter, who then referred her to the WCA. At her first case management appointment, she expressed needing to start actively rebuilding her life (working on housing, education, employment, etc.) but felt her soul, heart and mind required care first; she wasn’t mentally ready to start those more challenging case management goals.

It is essential to meet a client “where they are,” allowing them to fully control their goals and path. Instead of jumping on more complex goals of housing and employment, Ruth wanted to dedicate her time in case management to connecting to the Boise community. Ruth and her case manager spent time in appointments calling different churches and community partners. Over time, Ruth found a spiritual community to which she felt connected. When Ruth joined this community, she finally felt at home.

With this community goal achieved, she stated she was ready to start looking into housing and employment. During our appointments, Ruth worked on her resume, sending it out to multiple listed employment opportunities, to which she eventually obtained a position at a local nonprofit. Ruth worked for several months, saving everything she earned while continuing to live at a shelter. During this time, Ruth completed training programs that would increase her skillset and increase her income. Eventually, due to all of Ruth’s hard work, she was approved for a studio apartment. After months of being safely and securely housed, Ruth started her first semester of college. Her current focus is to be the first college graduate of her family. She has said that this process is a continuous validation that she finally has control.

Empowering and respecting a survivor’s right to make their own choice of how they want to start their path to safety, freedom and healing is beyond essential. Ruth’s story highlights the importance of autonomy and how the WCA can help to encourage a survivor’s journey in this way.

Thank you for all you do to help those in need of finding safety, healing and freedom from domestic abuse and sexual assault. The change begins with each of us supporting those in need each day.

With gratitude,

*Ruth’s name is a pseudonym in order to protect her safety

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