Put Yourself In Her Heels: Sandy’s Story
Power outages. Water damage. Run-down appliances. Negligent landlords. Common themes for women facing homelessness. Sandy found herself evicted from her apartment when it was shut down because the property owner defaulted on the loan.
“Everyone that lived there got evicted,” Sandy explained. “I didn’t have any way of moving…I didn’t have anybody who could help me.”
After endless rejected phone calls and shuffling from place to place with cardboard boxes full of her belongings, the reality of her situation caught up with her.
Sandy reluctantly came to the YWCA for emergency shelter. “I didn’t want to live in a homeless shelter. It’s scary. I couldn’t believe that this was my situation; I couldn’t believe that I was homeless at forty-eight. That’s really scary.”
She recalled her first night at the YWCA. “That first night I was so scared… I was uneasy about living here. Then the woman working at the desk came to check on me ‘cause she noticed how upset I was. That made me feel better, you know? It was cool to know someone cared.”
With the comfort of knowing she was important to the YWCA staff, Sandy began to focus on building skills that would help her regain independence.
Sandy set a goal to focus on her mental health and reclaim her confidence. “I do have a low self-esteem. I always have because of family always saying things like you’ll amount to nothing.” The YWCA recommended local community and social services to help Sandy rebuild her life.
With a home on her horizon and YWCA residents and staff helping Sandy rise above her fear and anxiety, she has continued to push for yet higher goals. When asked what she wants most, it is to spend more time with her boys.
“That’s the biggest thing. Even though they’re grown, when my kids come to visit me I want them to be proud.”
On September 24, 2016 men from our community will wear women’s high-heeled shoes for our annual In Her Heels fundraiser. Join us at Canan Commons as these men raise support and awareness for the YWCA Central Indiana. Keep an eye out for information to be released on the men participating in this spectacular event.