Jeannie has been living at Brigid’s Place since the summer of 2011. Before moving into Brigid’s Place, she lived on the street for many years. No one really knew Jeannie because she often couldn’t access services in the community. She was often viewed as a ‘hard to serve’ and a ‘dangerous’ client. Her past trauma, loss of culture, mental health and addiction remained invisible to service providers.
Since moving into Brigid’s Place, Jeannie has worked with the staff to stabilize herself and set goals. With working through her past trauma issues, her nightmares have lessoned and she is now more able to feel safe at night. Jeannie has also talked with staff about some literacy issues she experiences. To overcome this barrier, staff work closely with her to help her learn the life skills she needs to live independently, such as cooking, buying a bus pass, and organizing appointments.
Jeannie also takes great pride in herself by monitoring how she has been able to decrease her drug use. She documents this on a calendar and works with her doctor to maintain her Methadone program. She is also starting to see how her past trauma, addiction, mental health and culture all relate to one another.
By looking past the labels of “hard to serve” and “dangerous”, we were able to see Jeannie for what she had truly experienced in her life - pain, loss, and isolation. By accepting Jeannie as who she is, we were able to give her guidance, support, and encouragement so that she could move forward.
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