A Guide Through Tough Times Alice in the backyard of her new home CAMBRIDGE—Alice Galvin knew: maybe, probably, definitely, this day would come. Someone would finally say no, you can’t sleep on my couch tonight. Still, when she showed up at that first shelter, at the age of 44, worn down from stress and grief; when she stood before a woman from the old neighborhood whose children she once babysat; when she had to ask that woman for the charity of a shelter bed—it did not feel real. “I was numb,” Alice says, from the living room of her new apartment in Everett. Those were disorienting, demoralizing days. But other homeless women helped Alice through, pointing her toward clean shelters and friendly staff, warning her where to steer clear. Now, three years later, she’s contributed her own insights to a guidebook for homeless women, published with support mostly from the Cambridge Health Alliance, and distributed this spring in shelters and clinics around the area. The idea for the project came from Pat Maher, a nurse with Health Care for the Homeless. She's always been inspired by her patients, women like Alice, who so easily give support. For years, she's listened to them dispense advice outside her door. “It would choke me up sometimes, the kindness and the generosity, from one woman to another,” said Maher, 56. “These were women in a hard place.” The 45-page pamphlet offers an exhaustive list of resources, from shelters to job training to rape counseling. But the goal was also to capture the words of the women themselves. On nearly every page, there is advice and reflection from homeless and formerly homeless women, who participated in discussion groups for the project. The bright colors of their artwork line the pages. Most of the women chose to remain anonymous. But their voices come across strong and clear, guiding the reader through three distinct stages of homelessness: the shock of the early days, the difficulty of navigating services, and the challenge of moving into a home. At some point in the sessions, the question came up: how on earth do you get through? One woman’s simple answer became the title of the guide: “You Find Your Strength,” she said. Here is how it happened for Alice. | About This BlogWelcome to The Small Story, a blog about the lives of everyday people in Massachusetts- the challenges they face, the celebrations they make, and the communities they like to call home.
It’s a natural extension of the eight years I spent as a newspaper reporter, first at The Hartford Courant, then at The Seattle Times. Time and again, the small story pulled me in: the first day of school for a boy displaced by Hurricane Katrina, the final months of foster care for a tired teenager, the slow road to recovery for an injured Iraq War veteran and his mother. I work full-time as an editor now, and write this blog on the side. In the rush of reality TV, and minute-by-minute media coverage, the small story still says something important to me, about who we are, and how we live in this country. Here’s hoping you feel the same. - Cara Solomon Email:cara@thesmallstory.com Twitter: csmallstory Become a fan of The Small Story on Facebook, or shoot me an email and I'll put you on a "new story alert" list! Thanks for reading...  CategoriesAll ArchivesFebruary 2010 |
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