Theresa, Then and Now
Theresa came to Rosie’s Place four years ago at her lowest point. She was in a bad marriage and suffering from depression, she had lost custody of her kids and her home. She stayed there often and worked hard to reclaim her family and her life.
Rosie’s Place never gave up on Theresa. Through her own hard work and their support, today she has found stability and hope.
Theresa:
“Rosie’s Place gives you a reason to keep going. They help you to pick your face up off the floor and say okay it's not that bad. They make you feel like you can do it, they’ve helped me basically through everything: shoes on my feet, clothes. They helped me to find shelter, took me in for 21 days. Rosie's place is helping with food, they've helped me with money, to get an apartment. They helped me to feel better, to not feel like I'm down here on the ground, to feel like I could raise my head up again, that I am a worthwhile person.
I work at Stacey's Juice Bar. This job is the most wonderful place to work. I prep the vegetables for the juicing. My state of mind right now is “everything is possible”.
I was down, I had nothing and some of the people that helped me, most of the people who worked at Rosie's place and other people who had nothing and now that I have some things, I want to help others. I've got a good solid place to live. I've got an awesome job. I'm helping out with an awesome ministry. I have two wonderful little grandchildren […]. They're so fantastic, and my daughter is gonna be moving in with me, and I'm feeling more grounded.
It's not a sign of weakness to ask for help, so when you need it, it's okay. So, I asked and I'm glad I did. My life is a lot better than it was. I mean, I went from being out on the streets with nowhere to put my head. Finding Rosie's place and just all the services, they help you to feel good, a bunch of stuff they send you in a good direction. Rosie's provided me food, gave me this support system emotionally and mentally that I needed it at the time. I've been working at Stacy's since February 2014. It's an awesome place. I've got the best crew to work with, we have a lot of fun, we laugh we joke. You do feel like it's family. I started there, as a dishwasher, and then a prep cook, prepping the vegetables. It has now evolved, and they keep giving me more and more responsibilities and it feels good. It feels good to be an integral part of the company.
Over the last four years, I went from one room, with my daughter who had just come to stay with me but now I'm in a two-bedroom condo that I own so I went from homelessness to homeownership with the help of Rosie's Place. It still doesn't really hit me, it's like “wow this is really mine”. It's amazing to know that you can go home. It’s your sanctuary, it's your place away from all the stress of the world AND IT’S YOURS. I love cooking, so does my daughter and so, we have a great time and I started going to church on a regular basis, and everything just started getting better and better. I work with the Spanish English ministry, we live-stream the internet, we reach thousands of people all over the world. I have learned resilience, you've got to keep going no matter what life throws at you, just keep reaching for the stars