About eight months ago, Aisha says, “everything was falling apart.”
“It was getting bad, slowly but surely,” she says. “My addiction, my relationship with my children. It seemed like everything I did, nothing worked.”
Aisha has used Prevention Point Philadelphia’s services for years, joking that “Everything that they were doing, I wanted in on it.” She’s a big fan of Womxn’s Night, attending those weekly events almost since they were first offered more than five years ago.
“I loved them nights because… even if you’re not cordial with some women who are there, that night brings you all together,” she says. “There are a lot of women who don’t care for me … but once I see them that night, something different happens. I met a couple of long-term friends at Womxn’s Night. It’s awesome.”
But Aisha didn’t know a lot about Beacon House, PPP’s shelter, until recently. She didn’t pursue it, however, as unhoused friends said there were long lists of people waiting for beds.
In the spring, she waved down a passing Project HOME employee she knew and asked if she knew of any shelters. It was important to Aisha that there be no curfew. Realistically, Aisha knew she couldn't adhere to a curfew day in and day out.
The worker responded with, “What if I told you I had a shelter that has a bed with no curfew, you get meals, washrooms and showers?’ I was like, ‘OK, give me a bed.’’” Aisha recalls. “I didn’t think she was actually going to get the bed, but not even 15 minutes after us talking, I was in the car on the way here.”
Aisha’s lived at Beacon House ever since. She’s built strong relationships, including with her PPP housing case manager and the Project HOME worker who introduced her to the shelter. “Every time she sees me, she tells me she loves me,” Aisha says.
Looking forward, Aisha wants to continue to build her relationships with her four children and her two grandchildren. She also wants to find herself permanent housing.
“If you are going through hardship and you need to go somewhere or talk to somebody, just try them out,” she says, referring to the staff of Prevention Point Philadelphia, Beacon House, and Project HOME. “They actually care. It’s not like you go there and you’re a number or some kind of stat. They actually know your name. They ask about you, and you tell them. They genuinely want to know how you are.”