The staff can really make an impact on the women and children living at the House of Ruth. The case manager is usually the closest to the resident, but everyone seems to play a part in helping. Blanca lived at House of Ruth many years ago, but says it was the people she met there that helped her to change her life.
Blanca grew up with 6 brothers and they were all involved in gangs. "It was an ugly world", she says. Out of 6 of her brothers, 3 of them were shot and killed at the ages 16, 15, and as young as 13. She says she was always around drugs and because of her situation, she learned to always be on the defense.
Previous to coming to the shelter Blanca was living in Highland Park with her small children Anthony, Carmen, and Corina. They lived with her sister, her nephew, and her niece in a very small apartment because she wasn’t able to afford rent on her own. She was working on and off cleaning and babysitting. Her sister was leaving to go to Mexico which left Blanca and her children soon-to-be homeless.
Blanca came to House of Ruth and was transformed. Her case manager, Carmen, was the positive person that she needed in her life. She describes Carmen as "warm and loving".
"She would take her time and acknowledge me. Like I was the only one. It made me feel weird at first, but I got used to it and liked it. Carmen taught me how to show love to my kids...to hug them... say I love you. That is was okay to show affection. She had a handsome husband, two girls and a boy. I wanted to be a mom like her.”
Carmen would make sure Blanca was doing what she needed to do. They would meet once a week to talk about Blanca's goals for herself. Blanca started going to school and even taking parenting classes. Carmen was persistent. She would even follow Blanca to parenting classes to make sure she was going, and would visit Blanca in her room. This is what kept Blanca from goofing around, she says.
When asked what she remembers most about living at the House of Ruth, Blanca responds, "Sr. Judy Molosky, who was director at the time. I remember her red boots. The first time when I saw her I thought, how can she be a nun?” According to Blanca, Sr. Judy was a nun dressed like a cowgirl with short hair and wearing a skirt, button down shirt, and just smiling. It was the first time in her life she was surrounded by and actually hung out with Catholic sisters.
Sr. Judy and Carmen were not the only ones who played a significant role in Blanca’s life. Sr. Rachel, who was night staff, was really good at cleaning. She taught Blanca how to do chores right. Luisa also made an impact on Blanca. Luisa worked in childcare where Blanca would leave her children while she went to school. Luisa potty-trained Corina and took her off the bottle. Luisa showed the kids how to brush their teeth too. They would follow an activity schedule and they would sing and dance a lot. Before coming to House of Ruth Blanca’s kids never called her “mom”. Instead, they would just call her “Blanca”. Luisa changed that too.
Eventually Blanca moved to the transitional shelter and became more independent. She finally received section 8 and was able to move out on her own. However, House of Ruth meant so much to her that she returned to volunteer. Then eventually she started working there and she continues working there today. Even today she continues to learn from the women and her fellow staff members. Sr. Jennifer, who is the current director, became the mentor that she needed. Blanca and her family went through a lot during her employment but Sr. Jennifer never turned her back on them. She took Blanca under her wing and showed her there was more to life. "She's the one that made me see things brighter, more colorful. To Sr. Jennifer nothing is impossible. Out of something bad she'll turn it into something good. Throughout the years here I've seen how she has turned other families' lives around and how hard she works to keep the program growing. Even though I have a mom, I always see her as a mother figure."
Blanca says that without House of Ruth her children would be part of gangs. “Without House of Ruth, my son would have been a gang member, and would have been in and out of jail. House of Ruth saved my kids. And my sister and nephew followed.” And where would Los Angeles be without House of Ruth? Blanca responds, “People would find easy ways to survive, and the easy way is selling drugs, prostitution, crooked business. Families would end up homeless.”
Blanca's gratitude and love for House of Ruth is clear; it is her dream to one day be like Sr. Jennifer and to be able to do what she does.
No comments:
Post a Comment