Three years ago, one of MSP's clients, whom we will call E.S. for her protection, approached our booth at a resource clinic. When E.S. walked in, it was clear that she was apprehensive to share much about her situation. However, once E.S. realized that she was in a safe space, she shared her story with Outreach Community Specialist Gabriela. "I will never forget [watching E.S. walk into the room]... She walked to all three booths and jotted down our contact info,” says Gabriela.
Soon after, Gabriela received a message from E.S. asking if they could meet about getting legal help. Gabriela arranged to meet E.S., but unfortunately on that day, E.S.'s abuser accompanied her, and she was frightened that he knew she was taking steps to flee with her children.
At MSP we know that things don’t always go according to plan, especially when fleeing domestic violence, so we’ve developed ways of discreetly dropping off safety plans with our survivors—Gabriela winked at E.S. and she winked back. E.S. was now in possession of our guide for fleeing domestic violence. Shortly after, with the help of her case manager, E.S. was accepted into MSP’s transitional housing program that covers the cost of rent for a year. In that time, E.S. successfully filed a restraining order against her abuser and worked hard to earn U.S. citizenship. With rent and other expenses covered by MSP, E.S. secured a job in the medical field and was able to save money for housing. E.S. was also able to help increase her credit score with the help of MSP’s Fresh Start Fund. We can offset these expenses for our brave survivors because of your generous donations.
Just last month, Gabriela shared with our team that E.S. had secured a loan through D.C.’s first-time home buyer program. For many of our survivors, homeownership feels more like a distant dream than an actual possibility, but we are beyond thrilled to say that E.S. is officially a homeowner.
