Adrienne was living with her newly wedded husband prior to coming to Human Options. She thought married life was going to fun and happy. They had just gotten married a few months prior when her husband began being verbally and physically abusive. Adrienne and her husband lived with her husband’s cousin who was battling addiction with drugs. Adrienne mentioned she did not know if her husband was using as well but had suspicions he was especially when he was abusing her. Her husband would go through the cycle of being abusive and then loving towards her right after. After experiencing the cycle of violence repeatedly, Adrienne could not continue living the cycle any longer and decided she needed to leave; so, she fled from the county she was living in and found safety through Human Option’s emergency shelter.
While at shelter, Adrienne was very active and involved with the support and healing provided to her. She was very open to the services offered from legal to case management to therapeutic groups. She took a part in whatever she could. Adrienne worked with her legal advocate to file a restraining order and attended legal workshops to expand her knowledge about her rights.
Adrienne transformed from being very timid, to more vocal and outspoken. From the beginning she had a great drive for change, but throughout her time at shelter, she began the healing process and began to change and become more confident. She seemed more upbeat and happier as she accomplished her goals one at a time. When something did not work out the way she planned, she found a different option and went on to accomplish that. She truly showed her commitment to the program and herself to make change and maintain her safety. Adrienne was able to get into another program during her time at shelter and she was very excited for the opportunity. The amount of growth and healing Adrienne experienced was tremendous and was able to see for herself all that she was able to achieve. Adrienne’s story truly shows how much change can happen in such a short amount of time with the right support and access to care.
