S.’s Story
They were already at the second safe house that week when S. was told once more that her then-husband had found them and they needed to go again.
The taxi would arrive in 20 minutes.
Already terrified and bewildered from what the last several days (not to mention months and years) had held, S. frantically gathered her belongings and her children: one backpack for S. and her younger child, one backpack for the older child. The children each had a change of clothes but other than that each family member wore the clothes on their backs and the shoes on their feet. The savings cash S. did have was stolen.
“What is Dixon? What is Burnaby? What does it look like?” S., who spoke hardly any English, tried to ask but whether she had answers or not, she was going.
“In that 30-minute taxi ride, I told my children things like, ‘It will be okay, we will learn from this, we will be safe,’” S. said. “But I wasn’t sure if everything was going to be fine or not. I didn’t know. Could I trust the taxi driver? What were my rights? I knew nothing.”
***
Four short months earlier, S. left her homeland to come to Canada with her family. Her husband was Canadian and knew the culture, the system, the language. S. did not.
Life became oppressive. He controlled the family’s finances; they depended on him for that. He handled who the family would see and be allowed to talk to and when. He made sure S. was lacking resources and was as isolated as possible.
Violence and abuse had existed before, but it was several months into their time in Canada that S. said she hit a breaking point and could not take anymore. She left with the two children, not a fluent English speaker and knowing nothing about the criminal justice or transitional housing system. She had just heard there were shelters and the police could help, so she left.
***
“It was Rubi who embraced us at the house and immediately half of my worry was gone,” S. said.
The family was oriented to their new home and shown to their space to get some rest. S. put the kids to bed but was too anxious and full of questions. To this day she remembers how gracious and helpful Rubi was, staying up with her until midnight answering and addressing all of her immediate questions and concerns.
When clients like S. arrive at Dixon House, the immediate steps are ensuring a woman’s safety. Things like cell phones need to be turned off and plans changed so they can’t be tracked. Passwords for email addresses or online profiles need to be inaccessible to anyone else and reset for all accounts.
“Everyone—Linda, Bea, Mary and others were so helpful and so kind. I especially appreciated how they treated my children,” S. said. “I quickly became very relaxed and very happy. It only took 48 hours.”
With only $10 with her when she arrived, staff drove her to the bank to set up her own account, helped her navigate income assistance and other government services in her new country, coached her in English speaking and guided her through the criminal justice system.
“I was not alone,” S. said. “I was backed up with an army with big hearts and generous hands.
S. was thankful for a program that not only housed her, but also empowered her with skills to regain a sense of normalcy and independence.
“What I appreciate about Dixon is we could stand on our own two feet to get our life back, individually and independently.” S. said. “They taught us skills and gave us support but it was still my life and I was the one making the decisions.
S. and her children proceeded to stay at Wenda’s Place for two years. A saving grace, as S. had applied housing and was aware it might take ages for a placement. Like anyone, she was wanting a safe and clean living environment for her and her children.
“I was concerned about lice and bed bugs looking at these places,” S. earnestly recalled. “But Wenda’s Place was ready right away.”
Naturally resources were tight and S.’s family depended on the community donations. She said saving enough money for things like her driver’s licensing fees took all she had. To have food and clothes provided were an essential help. She also appreciated the kind and dignifying way Dixon staff handed over the goods; they weren’t handouts, but true gifts.
***
Today, S. speaks and writes in English fluently and is taking required courses to go onto to post-secondary education to work in the medical field. She is living independently and safely with her two children.
“They have freedom now and they are relaxed and that’s awesome for me,” S. said.
Her love for Dixon House, however, is more abundant than ever.
“When I arrived, I had no family and no friends in BC or even in Canada. I remember telling Bea when I was there that Dixon became my family. When I was there I said, ‘I feel like I am in my own home.’”
