Impact Stories: Jessica's Story
As a woman who experienced homelessness, Jessica feels lucky to have a safe place to call her home.After leaving an abusive partner, Jessica had no one to turn to for support. She worked hard to keep a roof over her head, taking on low-paying, part time jobs to try and pay her rent in a city as expensive as Calgary; she soon realized that her minimum wage wasn’t enough to make ends meet. She often had to choose between paying the rent or her getting her medication. After missing several rent payments, she found herself with no home.“I couldn’t face going to a co-ed emergency shelter; I was afraid I’d be robbed, or worse,” Jessica described. She did everything she could to avoid being on the streets and often found herself seeking refuge with friends or couch surfing to avoid sleeping on the street.Jessica knew she had to find a more permanent home. In 2018, she was referred to one of HomeSpace's agency partners and became part of the Community-based Supportive Housing program at The Maple, one of our newest buildings, in Bridgeland .“I walked into my apartment and felt an immediate sense of relief; I had a safe place to call home. As soon as I closed the door behind me, I just started jumping up and down,” says Jessica, the tears starting to flow as she recounted that joyful day. “I just couldn’t stop crying. It was just a miracle. I phoned my best friend and told her, “You’ll never guess what? I have a home!”"Every day I feel so lucky and am endlessly grateful for the support I receive from the staff here.”Jessica has hope for her future and is ready to move forward.