Meet Sarah: A look into homelessness in a pandemic

Oct. 4

May 27 2020

Sarah’s story is full of challenges, twists and turns, but she has never let any of that stop her from striving to be a better person. She first reached out to the YWCA Niagara Region in 2015 when she was faced with homelessness after leaving an abusive partner. She struggled with her mental and physical health after suffering long-time abuse and the passing of her infant son. All hope felt lost as Sarah faced barrier after barrier to get her life back on track. But then she walked through the YW’s doors.

Sarah has received support through a variety of our programs including off-site transitional housing, On-site Transitional Housing and our skills development workshops. Sarah’s journey with the YW was also the start to her mental health journey – an important step for identifying and understanding the symptoms she was experiencing. Access to these services has been critical for Sarah’s recovery and her journey to self-sustainability. Now, with support from her women’s advocates (social workers), she is able to manage her mental health on an ongoing basis.

In On-site Transitional Housing, where she is currently working the program, Sarah has been working towards her goals of practicing mindfulness and stress management as well as acquiring new life skills like household budgeting. Sarah was starting to make plans for the future, big plans, and then COVID-19 hit Niagara….

“I wake up every day and for a moment I forget about COVID and the pandemic, but then I remember and I start to feel stressed out.”

COVID-19 hit a lot of YW guests hard and Sarah was no exception. Her autoimmune disorder makes her worry often about contracting the virus and what would happen if she got sick. But she is grateful for the support of her women’s advocates that “keep [her] on track” and calm because she knows she “has someone to talk to” about her fear around the pandemic

In her experience with the YW, Sarah is so grateful for the staff, who she says have always treated her with respect no matter the circumstances.

“The staff are on the top of their game,” said Sarah. “They go above and beyond and they stay on top of everything.”

As Sarah eagerly awaits the end of the pandemic, she looks forward to her plans for the future including going to college for community service development. With this education, Sarah can begin a rewarding career where she can use her lived experience to help others struggling to manage their mental health. She is also excited to rekindle her relationship with her son who she had to put up for adoption many years ago.

Despite the challenging times that a pandemic brings, Sarah’s exciting future gives her hope to push forward and remain on her path to self-sustainability.