By Lindsay Pankok | lindsay.pankok@safehorizon.org
When Alyssa turned 18, she escaped her abusive family home but had nowhere to go. She found herself panhandling in New York City's Columbus Circle. "The people who passed me rarely acknowledged me. I felt disposable."
When Alyssa found Safe Horizon's Streetwork Project, her caseworker told her about Streetwork's crisis youth homeless shelter. Immediately upon intake, Alyssa's Streetwork Project case manager made her feel valued. "I was accustomed to being treated like a second class citizen. But as soon as I walked in, I felt like I mattered."
Making our clients feel valued is one of the most important aspects of our work. Recognizing that our clients have goals, dreams, talents, and unique stories helps our clients realize that they are more than the violence or instability that they're running away from.
"Today I have stable housing, two beautiful children, and my loving husband. It has been a long process to get to this point, and the staff at Streetwork were my advocates when I was too exhausted or overwhelmed to advocate for myself. They were constantly rooting for my family, and we won."
Thank you for supporting Safe Horizon in our pursuit to bring our clients from crisis to confidence.
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