The Voices Project

Waiting on Boston Housing

Waiting on Boston Housing is frustrating. Not only is the waiting list long but the amount of time they tell you it’ll be before you actually get an apartment is either inaccurate or a ridiculous time frame. 

I was informed that my expected wait time was 6 to 12 months on one development and up to five years on another. Over a year later, they are telling me my wait time is still 6 to 12 months on one development and five years on the other. Shouldn’t my wait time have changed? Would they tell me five more years if I called five years from now?  

 

It’s great that Boston Housing provides housing for those who are struggling. However, I feel as though Boston Housing doesn’t have the slightest idea of how long it’ll be before applicants on their waiting list will be housed. They give out inaccurate wait times and outrageous time frames, like up to five years.

 

What Boston Housing needs to do is get more housing, get applicants housed faster, and come up with a system where they can accurately calculate how long the wait will be for applicants. In the meantime, they should at least have the decency to tell applicants they don’t know how long it’ll be, instead of giving out inaccurate times. Then applicants will be able to plan around it, take another route, or explore other options if possible.

 

kj

Woman to Woman Participant

Crittenton Women's Union

Affordable housing for single mothers or families!!

I like to start off by saying that I am a single mother of four children and I been living in a shelter in Jamaica Plain, MA. I have been living there for a year now because I am not able to find affordable housing. The issue I am trying to address is I want someone to help with funding for more affordable housing programs so everyone can live comfortably. It is not fair to anyone who has to live like this because people become homeless for many different reasons.

I am now 35 years of age and this is not the life I wanted for myself. I am still a single mother and I never had a stable home. I want to become successful. I attended the career training program run by Crittenton Women’s Union to better myself and teach my children the right way to start their life. When I visited the state house, I was told to speak out and tell my story. So I said if I can write this story maybe it will get a point across and people can help me pursue all my concerns.

 

My mother gave birth to me when she was a teenager. I grew up taking care of myself. My issues now affect my kids because I have 3 children in the shelter with me and it’s very hard. We live in a 16 family house and each family has to share one room with their children. It is very overcrowded since my sons are 16yrs and 13yrs and my daughter is 6 yrs old. There is no living space and no family support. All this becomes a tough issue because the waitlist is too long for affordable housing. I want to find a better paying job to support my family and head for higher education. But, I am having trouble doing this without finding a home for my family first.

 

This is a real life issue that many people are experiencing. We need more affordable housing and funding for programs like the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP) that help families leave shelter and make their dreams come true!!!

 

Kimber7377

Woman to Woman Participant

Crittenton Women's Union

Access to higher education for married woman

Education is the cornerstone of society. Yet, in our society, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to obtain higher education. A college education, both private and public, is so expensive that it becomes an elusive dream for many in our society.

Many bright students, specifically married women, have opted out of pursuing a higher education because it is not affordable and accessible to them. They might have too high of an income in their family and can’t afford to go back to school. Now what are we to do? As a married woman, I feel worried about my situation for many reasons. I have found many barriers in my life because I have two kids and I work but my husband is the major support to our home. I don’t receive or qualify for financial aid, child care vouchers or any other benefits because my husband’s income is too high. As a married woman, I am not assisted. I am considered ineligible for these benefits. I think they need to look my goals, aspirations and give me the opportunity to get an education. Eligibility requirements for assistance need to be changed to benefit married women. Married women need the opportunity to get an education so they can help support their family.

Diana Pineda
Crittenton Women’s Union
Woman to Woman Program Participant

Give Us Some Help

I feel that if there were places like the Crittenton’s Woman to Woman program that was here to help people get better skills and education there wouldn’t be people with out jobs or training they need to be productive citizens. We need other programs to be free for families that are low income that have a desire to make a better life for themselves. Programs that would help no matter what gender and if you are a single parent. We need to know that there are people out here that are willing to help if we make the first step for a better future.

If there was a stipend available for the people to have each week it would encourage us to come and get the skills we need for a good paying job that could help many families get off welfare.

TOM Tom
Crittenton Women’s Union
Woman to Woman Program Participant

Children Need Help

Children born into homes with confused troubled parents need our help. How can they think when they are preoccupied with what happened to daddy or what happened to mommy. What happens when a child comes to school that just got hurt at home? (They think it is normal for them). What happens when a child comes to school and he or she never had educational toys that the other children have had, does this leave them behind before they even start???? When they never had stories read to them? Is poverty, alcoholism, a battered mother their fault?

Should they have to carry the world on their shoulders? What did they do? Why is it that someone like Tom Cruise becomes an actor and these children fall through the cracks?

This is a tragic situation and children should be analyzed when they arrive to a school. We are going to moon and our children are in trouble. There should be no poverty.

One idea is at PTO meetings, have a recovered alcoholic mother or father speak, someone from al alanon talking about recovering from living with alcoholics, and have a women with battered women’s syndrome tell her story, all of whom have survived and now living a life that is full and happy. We could figure a way together to get these parents to the meetings. Knowing the problem is the first step. No judgement just the truth. We can change this together.

Peggy Winfield
Crittenton Women’s Union
Woman to Woman Program Participant

More Privileges in Shelters

I’m twenty–eight years old and a mother living in a Women’s Shelter in Waltham. I’ve been in the shelter for five months now and honestly. I’m on the verge of just leaving there and pick up residency on the street. My reasons for this is because of the long wait to get an apartment. Every time that I pass in the neighborhood that I would like to move into, there is always new apartments being built or just sitting there empty.

My other reason is like I’ve mentioned in the beginning is that I’m a twenty-eight old mother but we (women in the shelter) get treated like we’re kids and look down upon because of our living situations. We have to be in by a certain time (9:00pm) or we get written up which they restrict some of your privileges even lose your cash benefits and eventually get kicked out of the shelter. You also have to do like 30 hours community service to meet your requirements at the shelter or lose your benefits, your search for a place to live and also get asked to leave.

Don’t get me wrong ,I understand that you have to apply yourself if you want to be self-sufficient but, to be treated like a ‘criminal’ and less of a human I think it’s unfair and unjust. Most women at the shelter are there because of domestic violence, some are recovering addicts or some other life changing experience and would like to feel motivated and feel as though they have a purpose in life. Being in there for a long period of time, makes you feel as though you’re in a ‘dark tunnel and no visible light at in end’.

The changes I will like to see are more awareness groups, quicker apartment finds for those living in the shelter for a long time and did there part of apartment hunting and job search.I also think if they want you to search for apartments and fill out applications they should at least supply the postage stamps.

TT
Crittenton Women’s Union
Woman to Woman Program Participant

The Health Care System

My experience with the health care system has been poor.

One and a half years ago I had a right total knee replacement. I had difficulty with the anesthesia; I then had a new social worker who did not know the various rehabilitation facilities. She asked me where I wanted to go and gave me a few names of facilities, one of which I had worked at prior to my surgery and I wasn’t impressed. I declined; however, I was not totally alert due to the anesthesia. So my husband located a rehabilitation facility. I was at the rehab center for about three weeks. Once I was home I had home physical therapy until I was able to have out patient therapy, however there was a long delay for the out patient therapy because I wasn’t able to use The Ride.  I then developed severe pain on both of my upper arms and shoulders, and ended   up going to a Chronic Pain Facility on an out patient basis. After which I had  used up all of my allotted allowance of physical therapy, occupational therapy and Doctors visits. However, I was not improving and needed more therapy.  Today, I have improved, but I am not 100%.

I do not think insurance companies should be able to control the amount of sessions for individuals. Everyone is different; some may need more therapy than others. It has taken me about one year and a half to get to where I am today. I am still not one hundred percent.

H.B.H.
Crittenton Women’s Union
Woman to Woman Program Participant

On My Way To Making My Dreams Come True

Last week, I graduated from Crittenton Women's Union Woman To Woman Program, a 12 week training program that teaches you computer skills and professional development to low income women in order to help them become economically self sufficient. It was overwhelming because of all the support I have gotten here. One of the components of the program is advocating for something you feel strongly about. My passion is helping victims of domestic violence and through the Woman to Woman program I learned how to do that and was able to start by writing blogs, and speaking out, telling my story to people and meeting with State Representative Linda Dorcena Forry. Now Im getting ready to begin college in September in the Human Service Work then on to work towards becomming a Licensed social worker. Also because of this organization I have opportunities I didn't even know about to do volunteer work for agencies such as Jane Doe. I think if more people knew about this organization so many others could benefit from all they have to offer. Thank you Crittenton Women's Union.

Marsha
Crittenton Women’s Union
Woman to Woman Graduate

You Never Get Through Life Without a Struggle

I’m a twenty-three year old single mother of three. I had my first child when I was sixteen years old and was a junior in high school, I made it to my senior year but pregnant with my second child at eighteen. I ended up dropping out of school, which was a big mistake on my part. By the age twenty I had two boys and was ready to give birth to my daughter just one week prior to my twenty-first birthday. During all this I had already lived in seven different shelters before I got my first apartment.

Finally, I got some stability living in my own home. I decided to go finish school, to be a better role model for my three small children, especially for my daughter. I attended Crittenton Hastings House (which is now Crittenton Women’s Union) where I resided to get my GED. I started in April of 2006 and graduated and obtained my GED in June of that year.

I then took a break from my education for a couple of months to care for my children. I wanted to attend the Crittenton Women’s Union’s Woman to Woman program which helps low income women gain computer skills and career advancement. Due through financial and Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) regulations circumstances, I could not attend the program in the winter of 2007, so I worked a little and volunteered my time. I started a job and realized that I wanted to better myself, so I quit my job and again made a second attempt to enroll in the Woman to Woman program, which I now attend.

Even though I had my children at a young age, I still kept strong and strived to succeed in life. I am now more motivated and am ready to keep thriving to succeed and be a positive role model for my children. I am now going to graduate from the Woman to Woman program in three weeks. I also have been invited to be a guest speaker for an open house for the Crittenton Women’s Union as an alumna of their GED program. My life could have turned out worse being a misguided teen parent, but I chose to make a better life for my children. By the way you never get through life without struggle!

Unfortunately, some women are not as fortunate as I. The cause of this is that most young single mothers don’t have a support system and may not have the knowledge to get the help they need to succeed; and the Department of Transitional Assistance has so many regulations and rules that make it difficult for single mothers to thrive. The government needs to make shelters and educational programs more accessible to that help women succeed.

I think a way that this can be resolved is by getting more funding for programs such as those that helped me and advocated for me like the Elizabeth Stone House and the Crittenton Women’s Union. These programs helped me with a lot of things from interviewing, to getting a job, giving me a suitable place to live, and advocating for myself. Programs such as these needs more funding so more women like me will get the opportunity and the necessary tools to be able to succeed and provide a better life for themselves and their families.

J.M.R.
Crittenton Women’s Union
Woman to Woman Program Participant

Asking for help isn't easy either

After returning a purchase at a department store yesterday, I left the store to witness a young woman pleading for help. Apparently her car’s battery had died and she needed a jump. I, too, am a likely candidate for “Damsel in Distress” because I don’t carry such things as jumper cables, extra windshield wiper fluid, and water in my car. However, I had an air compressor. It broke, and—yes—sadly, I carry it’s useless carcass around with me. So, I could empathize with the young woman’s helplessness.

As you have intuited, I couldn’t help her and moved on (no sense in getting her hopes up because even if I had cables I’ve no idea how to use them.) But, this Damsel’s “Knight in Shining Armor” came along. Well, not exactly; however, he did have white, shining hair. The Knight valiantly sprung to action. With his wife chatting along through the process of jumping (or whatever you call it) the car, he reassured the Damsel in an exceedingly paternal way. It was rather sweet actually, for though he and his wife required the use of a handicapped parking space, he moved with renewed energy as he expertly fiddled with the Damsel’s car, successfully restarting it. The Knight advised the Damsel to keep the car running as she thanked the man loudly and profusely enough to be heard across the parking lot. All of us witnesses couldn’t help smiling at this aging Knight doffed his hat to the young woman in a most courtly way (I mean who does that anymore?), and escorted his chatty wife to her side of the car and helped her in, underscoring his chivalrous nature. The act of helping some one in need seemed to take years off them both and I was reminded an act of kindness and generosity can make a person feel. How wonderful it is to go a bit out of your way or make a sacrifice to help someone truly in need. It’s heroic, if you ask me.

Yet, everyday on the Park Street station train platform there’s usually someone asking for help in the form of spare change, and our fists tighten. We don’t even look that person in the eye hoping that avoiding their gaze will make them pass us by. I always feel a little guilty because I rarely carry any cash with me (a fact that horrifies my mother), and doubly-guilty that I can’t assist a person who humbly asked for a little spare change. It’s a terrible feeling.

The point is, the scene in the parking lot and all the days I couldn’t offer help in the form of a few coins reminded me not only of how nice it is to help someone, but how difficult it is to ask for help. A young woman stranded in a dark parking lot is a dangerous proposition nowadays. The horror that your vehicle has betrayed you and stopped working, and finding (even if you have jumper cables) you need someone to give you that jump. There were several people that passed the woman by that probably just didn’t want to get involved, even if they had jumper cables and the knowledge of how to use them. After all, it’s a risk helping someone. That means you’ve temporarily taken responsibility for a person’s well-being and it’s not a calling everyone is suited to.

But, I wonder when it was that we became no longer obligated to help people in need whether they need a jump, a little spare change, an organ donation, or whatever. We hesitate at the edge instead of taking the plunge, instead of taking the risk that maybe, just maybe, helping someone will make our day a little brighter, not to mention changing the fortunes of the people we help.

Remember, it’s hard to ask to ask for help. To have done all you can to help yourself like carry all the right equipment and spare blankets in your trunk, and realizing in life it’s not enough to just have the jumper cables. You need some one with the skills, knowledge, and experience to help you out of an impossible situation.

This is why I applaud the people that ask for help, because it isn’t easy and we often forget that until we find ourselves with a stalled car, a foreclosed home, or laid off of a job. How vulnerable these situations make us feel. Many of us may find ourselves in need of a little help at some point in our lives and I am grateful that there are people willing and able to be Knights in Shining Armor...or something like that. So, the next time someone asks for some help, take a chance and help them. Go a little out of your way, dig deep in your pocket and remember how difficult it is to ask for help, and recognize how courageous they are. I finally did, and am happy to report that I was able to give $.85 in change to a woman at Park Street station. The surprised and grateful look on her face made me feel like a hero, and I wished I had more to give.

K.B., Crittenton Women's Union
Institutional Advancement Dept.