Our Neighbours: Ann
I just turned 47, and these past seven months were the first time I was ever homeless. I spent two months here at the Grace House shelter. I loved my time here. It’s like a palace. I’m serious. I thank God for this. I thank God for bringing me here from where he brought me from. Before I came here I was a drug addict. Bad stuff. I experienced something really bad when I was young. So many women are survivors.
Coming into Grace House was my first step.
It doesn’t matter what situation homeless women or men are in – they’re hurting. It could be drugs, or alcohol, or child abuse; it could be anything. I think everybody deserves a second chance. And I’ve been given that chance. Everybody should have a chance to find their true self. If there’s hope for me, there’s hope for everybody.
Writing poems is one of my favourite hobbies. I started writing poems about a year ago. I write about what’s going on around me. I see life differently from what I used to – what’s going on around me, and what I feel in my heart. I feel a lot of emotions when I write; it’s healing. I am a survivor, I survived a lot of things in my life. And writing is one of the healing things that I enjoy doing.
So I never knew who I really was until about a year ago. This past year I found my way. And there’s hope for everyone. And now more opportunities are coming my way. Tomorrow I move into my own apartment. I’m not the same woman that people knew 5 years ago. All things are possible when the community gets together and shows kindness, love, and respect. My job right now is to help people – guide them in the right direction so they don’t make the same mistakes that the older generation did. The greatest thing that people can do in this community is forget about yourself and go help somebody else who needs it. And I am trying my best. My next step is to move into my own place, make new friends, and be around positive people, while trying to help other people. And I will keep writing poems.