Catherine's House

What former residents say about us.... 

Memories of Mercy

A resident leaving Catherine’s House recently shared the following comments on her stay at the transitional facility for women and women with children who are homeless.

A teenager recalls her feelings for Catherine's House. . . "Before I moved here, I didn’t even know of a place named Catherine’s House. Neither did I know the meaning of the word homeless; I always had a roof over my head and knew I was going to be fed everyday, and taken care of, no worries whatsoever. But then, our lives, my mother, my sister and I, had went downhill. My dad left us and he was the person bringing in the money because my mom couldn’t work because of her back. He left us with no money, nothing that showed he even cared for us anymore. At the age of fifteen, I had to get a job to bring in some money since my mom was unable to work; still it wasn’t enough money for three women living in a house; we had to choose between the rent and food. We then worried about many things, things a fifteen year old and an eleven year old should not worry about, such as, when are we going to eat? Where are we going to sleep tomorrow night? Are we still going to be together? Then one day we were evicted from our house that we had lived in for what I thought to be forever. We had nowhere to go! Someone told us about Catherine’s House up in Belmont. We had no idea what the place was, we had never heard of it before. It is operated by the Sisters of Mercy; they were very kind to us. They made it feel like a home for us. Catherine’s House gives you a fresh start on life, and helps you get back on your feet. This place has changed my life so much; we no longer need my dad. We were helped with family services such as Medicaid, Food stamps, and Work First. They also helped us with section 8, and finding a house for us. In a matter of days we are moving back into a house, without worries! No worries about the rent being too high, or not having anything to eat. Catherine’s House gave us this fresh start in life, I don’t know what we would have done without the staff and residents there. I can’t show how much I appreciate them."

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Another former resident said: “The women who find their way to Catherine’s House come from very different circumstances, yet one thing is the same in all of us. We are all without shelter or the money to acquire shelter and/or without family support. We find the support we need at Catherine’s House from the Sisters of Mercy, staff, volunteers, and the residents. The list of things I needed when I first arrived was long and the list of things I received from Catherine’s House is equally as long; safety, sense of community, friendship, faith, good rules to live by, a nice place to lay my head at night, relief from many problems, good counseling, friendly, caring and wise people to guide me toward some goals, a purpose driven life, I lacked these things and Catherine’s House provided them and much more.

"I had not felt safe in a very long time. I moved around from State to State – always starting over, always a stranger in town – mostly without money or employment. The staff at Catherine’s House helped me stay and find some stability in my life. I received quality weekly counseling – with an opportunity to continue for three months, even after I exit the program. Weekly strategy sessions were provided by the case manager. I enjoyed a series of interesting as well as important group meetings and worked on different areas of my life with classes in nutrition, child-care, empowerment of women, guidance in renting, and the fun story-telling group to name just a few.

"I was helped with money for gas and auto insurance. Clothing and toiletries items were provided as needed. I was truly blessed to find Catherine’s House — my home for the past 4½ months. Now I have found employment as an on-site Property Manager and it comes not only with a salary but an apartment as well. This would never have happened if I had not come to Catherine’s House and the Sisters of Mercy. I will never forget my experience. I wish that space and funds could provide a facility and program like this to all the people in poverty whether homeless or not. After I get settled I will return and volunteer there.”

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