When you meet Maria, you will find a lively and optimistic person, but life has dealt her an unfair hand. She faced several traumatic situations as a child and then, after moving to California as a young adult, she got into the first of several abusive relationships in which she was physically and mentally abused and raped.
Maria tried her best to escape her situation at home, but at 23, her coping mechanisms took an unhealthy turn when she was introduced to drugs, quickly destroying everything she had. After couch surfing for some time, Maria found herself homeless on the street in San Diego. Maria described that experience as “dirty all the time, trying to find places to use the bathroom, horrible.” During that time, Maria overdosed. It took three doses of Narcan to bring her back. Still, she could not break free of her substance use disorder.
However, everything changed when Maria went to the emergency room for an extreme infection. During her recovery, she figured that since she was off drugs, she might as well stay off. After years of tragic experiences, she began to take her life back. “I know what I want. I want to be happy. And drugs did not make me happy, it took everything I ever loved from me.”
Maria went into sober living and eventually met the criteria for ECS Uptown Safe Haven (UTSH) where she has been living for about a year. It has given her the ability to reshape her life with strength and intention. “UTSH have good programs I participate in, the staff is wonderful, I’m very happy being here,” Maria explained. “This is a new chapter in my life, and it has been the best year of my life.”
Above her desk, hangs a vision board which helps Maria actualize her dreams. It is decorated with inspirational phrases such as “I didn’t just survive, I thrived” and “I’ve never felt stronger.” Maria’s current goals are to save up for a new bike and her own apartment.
Currently, Maria volunteers feeding the homeless every week, but her dream is to talk to other victims of domestic violence. She wants to inspire others to work on themselves, strive for sobriety, and reclaim their lives. “Everything happens for a reason… It is a beautiful life being sober,” she said. “It is a beautiful life waking up and knowing you are not getting beaten anymore… I am so happy now.”
With the support of programs like UTSH, Maria was able to turn her life into something beautiful. “I wake up proud of myself. I wake up alive and thank God for another day,” she said. “Becoming an independent woman is the best feeling ever. I mean look at me, I am about to have my own apartment for the first time. I am so blessed and thankful for every day, for this roof, the staff, the food. I am so blessed.”
UTSH is a residential facility program from ECS that provides transitional housing and supportive services to chronically homeless single adults with moderate to severe mental health issues. To learn more visit www.ecscalifornia.org/uptown-safe-haven-1.