Erin’s Story

Living with her mother and large family, Erin worked and cared for her daughter. Then her peacekeeping mother moved from the home and Erin endured constant screaming, fighting and resentment.  Erin found herself in a situation that drained her emotionally and financially.

With negative influences and verbal abuse abounding, Erin finally said enough. She began searching for a place where she and her daughter could go.

Erin found the YWCA’s shelter online. Moving in was a good choice for her daughter, Erin felt.

“Everybody at the YWCA is real nice and there’s a lot here for us, like classes I can do. When you’re living here you really have to do what you came to do. No holding back.”

Erin nodded to herself. “I just need to keep moving forward, you know? It’s important to me so I need to remember that. There are a lot of things I can learn, so long as I remember I have to do the work.”

Sometimes following rules and having to go to goal-setting meetings is tiring, Erin admitted. And at times, Erin considered leaving.

“When I first got to the YWCA I got mad because I was getting called out for not making good choices. I was not the best parent. But then I thought, why go backwards when I can keep going forward?  Here people are always helping me try to be a better parent and help me push through all of this. People here see that I am changing and even the staff is telling me that.”

Having moved into the YWCA’s transitional resident housing program with her daughter, Erin works as hard as ever to change the ending of her story.

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