NSV Radio #2 Wellness Series's Story

Winona

Winona had a hard childhood. She was raised in multiple foster homes starting when she was just an infant. At the age of 17, she became pregnant and got married. Winona had two children with her husband. After her children grew up, the couple separated and Winona became homeless, living in shelters, hotels, and a rooming house. Without stable housing and with nowhere else to turn, she moved into her daughter’s apartment for several years. Circumstances changed and Winona was once again homeless.

Jewel

As a child, Jewel experienced family trauma and abandonment. Life was hard at home and as a teenager, she looked to escape any way she could.

Jewel got married at age 17, left home with her new husband, and had her first child. But her marriage didn’t work out as she hoped. Her husband struggled with drug addiction, and Jewel suffered through years of verbal and physical abuse.

Catherine

Catherine worked hard all of her life. She retired from her retail career in 2008 and assumed the full-time role of taking care of her mother in Memphis. After her mother passed in March 2011, Catherine decided to move to DC to be closer to her niece and nephew. She had a hard time finding work and lived in a hotel until she could no longer afford the cost.

On a cold morning in February 2016, Catherine became homeless for the first time in her life. Alone, she made her way to Union Station where she met a woman who told her about the city’s emergency shelters.