Sarah’s Story
Sleeping in stairwells, vehicles and on the streets was not the way Sarah had envisioned her life going. No one dreams of being homeless and addicted to drugs, particularly not as an expectant mother.
‘How did I get here?’ Sarah asked herself one day as she lay frantically waiting for Emergency Services to arrive and treat her wounds after a particularly violent altercation with her boyfriend.
Her progression from a stable adopted family life growing up to the hopeless and dangerous lifestyle that she was now living was a slow progression. Leaving her small town as a young adult and heading to Vancouver to find work and new opportunities was exciting and filled with promise. For a few years, Sarah was able to hold down a great government job, but eventually some mental health issues began to surface. That, coupled with a tumultuous environment ended her career path abruptly. Sarah lost her job and soon after was spiraling towards homelessness, deeper addiction and life on the streets.
Sarah’s boyfriend’s drug-induced psychosis is what eventually led up to the emergency call and to the realization that she needed healing in her life. At this point, survival was the only option. Her children were everything to her, and she began the pursuit of something better. Moving to Chilliwack and finding the RAN Family Centre was the turn-around that Sarah needed. ‘I was not ready to handle life by myself. My family was broken- I was broken and needed fixing. I needed God and I needed people who believed in me.’
Her daughter was now staying with her parents and receiving the support that she needs. Sarah and her son Jonathan were among the first families to move into the RAN Family Centre when it first opened in 2018. The support and the environment have made all the difference. After the trauma of his early years, Jonathan has settled into a regular rhythm of life and has thrived in the safety and security of the Centre.Severe anxiety and stress used to be debilitating to him, manifesting with various mental health issues.‘Since settling into the Family Centre, Jonathan has become calm and resilient, and he loves school now too!’ says Sarah. ‘One day I will leave the RAN Family Centre. One day I want someone else to use my apartment and to receive the life-changing supports that saved me and my son’.