"As a child, I, along with one of my sisters, was abused by my step-father. When I was a young woman, my mother and my biological father died, and a number of other close family members, including several sisters and brothers, also died prematurely. I've been a victim of extreme episodes of domestic violence. My pain caused me to fall into despair, ultimately using an array of drugs and, in middle-age, falling into homelessness."
"They offer dignity to people who too often have been deprived of any sense of their own worth. I started visiting the center nearly every day, talking with their case workers, eating in their cafeteria, receiving medical assistance and eventually getting linked with mental health therapists and counselors at the on-site Trauma Recovery Center, which provides services and support to victims of crime."
Ten years ago I hit bottom after more than fifty years of accumulating traumas. As a child one sister and I were abused by our step‑father. Multiple family members died prematurely; I endured extreme domestic violence, addiction, estrangement, and middle‑age homelessness. I stayed at the Midnight Mission and then began visiting the Downtown Women's Center, receiving casework, meals, medical care, and connections to on‑site Trauma Recovery Center therapists and counselors. The Trauma Recovery Center provided a community of caregivers and a safe space to begin talking and grappling with long‑held fears and anxieties. Nearly three in four Californians experiencing homelessness have endured physical violence.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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