Page 1. Erica s Story

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2 Erica s Story Page 1 My name is Erica and I am 39 years old. My sobriety date is January and my off the streets date is September of Addiction and Alcoholism run in my family. I had been employed for about 6 years utilizing my degree in office administration when around the age of thirty a traumatic event occurred in my life that really set off my addiction. Once in active addiction my life fell out from under me very quickly and I soon found myself homeless. I hit my bottom in 2010 when my friend was arrested for drugs and I was given an ultimatum, get clean and get my life together or go to jail. I started attending court ordered AA/NA meetings trying to get sober. However, I was still out on the streets and it was a very difficult to transition between the life I had known for the last 10 years and the sober life that I was longing for. I was lucky to find the Guerneville homeless shelter during those winter months. It provided me with consistency and a foundation. I spent the following weeks sleeping at the shelter, receiving help from the counselors and attending twelve step meetings. I needed the stabilizing effect of the shelter to allow me to begin to get my life together. I made important connections there which helped me to regain my balance, my direction and my sanity. I became involved in service, started volunteering, cooking meals for folks at the Empowerment center and eventually began working at the shelter. The last few years have been full of wonderful and exciting events. My life today has become just that, a LIFE. I now work for West County Community Services as a Program Aid. I have a home and I give back to my community daily.

3 W C W S West County Winter Shelter Tina s Story Page 2 Diagnosed with PTSD related to childhood family problems, drugs and alcohol were the only way I knew to cope with my feelings of worthlessness, loss of hope, and despair. Addiction permeated my life to such a degree that homelessness had been an ongoing issue for many years. In 2006 I was homeless, ashamed, hungry and seemingly alone. My self-hatred and desperation were so intense that I thought suicide was the only solution to my problems. It was at this time, that a woman from the Guerneville Community Church gave me a hotdog at a free food event in the Guerneville plaza. She reached out to me, talked to me like another human being and awakened my spirit and desire to live. I came into the Guerneville homeless shelter shortly thereafter. The shelter provided me safety, warmth and sustenance. I was able to drop my guard, relax and actually get some sleep. The shelter gave me a breath. Over the next couple of months I was given help finding a counselor, permanent housing and other living essentials. I started regularly attending twelve step meetings which fed me spiritually, helped me build a support network and gave me a program for recovery. I moved from the shelter and into my current residence in I feel very passionate about those who are still homeless in our community. I have worked at the shelter for the last 4 years in order to help those still struggling with homelessness and addiction. It is the one on one human contact that changed my life and the shelter gave me a safe place for that contact to begin to happen. I am extremely grateful for the Guerneville homeless shelter and proud to be able to contribute there and be an integral part of support that they provide.

4 Anthony s Story Anthony was a foster child and when he was seventeen, he was in a horrific hiking accident at Lake Arrowhead which resulted in him suffering severe brain damage. When Anthony came into the shelter, he was homeless due to being evicted from his house because his roommate wasn t paying the rent. It was winter and cold and he had nowhere else to go. When the shelter closed Anthony, received help through the Empowerment center to secure full-time housing in Guerneville. Once in housing Anthony was eager to contribute to society. David, a shelter volunteer helped buy him some boots and gave him some yard work at his house. Over the past year, Anthony has established himself as an integral part of our community, not just through cleaning the streets, but through his desire to outreach to the less fortunate and to be a bridge between the business community and the homeless community. The Chamber of Commerce loaned him the cleaning cart and broom, and a few business have donated money. Anthony is a great example of how someone with a disability can be such an important part of our community and of what makes Guerneville an all inclusive place to call home. There is nothing disabled about Anthony. Anthony is all about ability and a shining example of how our shelter can enable our community to become stronger.

5 December 2013 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat WINTER SHELTER VOLUNTEER SCHDULE 5:30-7pm - 5-7pm Cindy :30-7pm First AM Title Laurie - FREE MEAL 5:30-7 G ville School 5:30-7pm Zapp Family 5:30-7pm Kristina :30-7pm :30-7pm FREE MEAL

6 January 2014 WINTER SHELTER VOLUNTEER SCHDULE Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat pm Cindy :30-7pm FREE 5:30-7pm Zapp Family 5:30-7pm Kristina :30-7pm First AM Title Laurie :30-7pm FREE

7 February 2014 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat WINTER SHELTER VOLUNTEER SCHDULE 1 5:30-7pm 7-10pmShower 5-7pm Cindy 5:30-7pm Free 5:30-7pm Kristina :30-7pm First AM Title Laurie 5:30-7pm Zapp Family :30-7pm FREE

8 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat March 2014 WINTER SHELTER VOLUNTEER SCHDULE :30-7pm First AM Title Laurie 5-7pm Cindy 5:30-7pm FREE 5:30-7pm Zapp Family 1 5:30-7pm Kristina

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