Finding Peace After the Storm

When Kathy was young and saw a person in rough shape who was living on the street, her father used to tell her, “Kath, we’re all just one nickel away from being out there.”

When she grew up and found success as a nurse, the thought of what she might do if she lost her resources was far from her mind, but things changed the day her mother died.

Kathy had quit her nursing job and moved in with her elderly mother to take care of her. Her mother’s condition quickly deteriorated one day, and Kathy got her to the hospital, where she later died.

What ensued following her mother’s death was the stuff of nightmares: A family member accused Kathy of abusing her mom and she was arrested and then faced a painful court process. She was also forced to leave her mother’s home and had nowhere to go.

She got in touch with her son, who began researching places where she could live and the Eugene Mission came up. Her son stayed with her in the Rescue Shelter her first night because she was so disoriented and scared.

“I was like a shattered mirror the pieces were so broken,” she said. “I was so terrified I was almost not able to function.”

 She said Navigator Mike Arredondo kept trying to encourage her to transition to the R3 Program: “they all kept saying, ‘you’re going to make it!’” she recalled, but her fear was overwhelming. When it was time for her to move to the Women’s Center, she was shaking so badly that Navigator Tanya Miner thought she might be having a heart attack, Kathy said.

Kathy’s road back to health took about a year, but she says she slowly began to recover, overcome the shock of what had happened and put her life together. She still had the court case hanging over her head, which made planning and looking to the future difficult.

The case came to a head last winter, she recalled. The family member who had accused her had refused to release medical records, but the District Attorney was going to drop the case if they didn’t comply. Once they released the records, Kathy said they showed only that her mother had been taken care of and properly treated.

“My attorney called and said, ‘guess what? The DA is ready to dismiss the case and seal the records.’ A few days later, a judge signed the dismissal and she and the navigators in the Women’s Center celebrated. She was finally free. A few days after that, she was approved for medical benefits and began saving all her checks.

“I was very supported here,” Kathy said. “I have nothing but love, admiration and respect for the navigators. They’re trying to teach you structure here and discipline. God gives you the tools, but he doesn’t do it for you.”

When it comes to her losses and griefs from the court case, Kathy said she is very much at peace and holds no grudge against anyone. She was also able to buy a trailer and just signed a rental agreement at a mobile home park.

As she looks back on her time here at the Mission, she says she considers herself blessed.

“I never would have come so far without the Mission,” she said. “I would have curled up and given up, but God had a better plan for me.”

When she first moved into the Women’s Center, Kathy used to hate the sound of the entrance gate slamming shut, but she had an epiphany one day: “I realized that’s safety,” she said. “When you’re here, that sound means you’re safe.”