I would start my shift in the evening, usually doing overnights at the transition house I once worked at many years ago.
I remember working during the holidays.
I remember working one evening just before Christmas.
In our tiny moments of down time from crisis calls, meeting with women and children in the house, following up on additional advocacy for emergency funds, counselling referrals, legal supports, police and medical needs for our clients, while attending to regular maintenance of household tasks, grocery needs and doing paperwork, we would also go into our donation room to wrap gifts. Extra gifts that we would put under the tree. Knowing and anticipating that on Christmas eve and even on Christmas day that we would be doing intakes of women and children that would arrive at the transition house seeking shelter and safety.
I remember this every year.
I remember the women that had to make the most difficult choice to leave, and to leave during the holidays.
Women that were devastated at leaving their homes; homes they had decorated, meals they had made, gifts they had packed for their children under the tree that would go unopened and not given.
Women that were in such fear for their lives and the lives of their children that going to a transition house was the only option to secure safety. Women having to make the decision to leave and hoping that this very significant and life altering step they had taken would work out.
I remember witnessing the fear, distress, crying, numbness, dissociation and despair of many women. I also remember the high-functioning, calm, focused and resolute women knowing they would never go back home.
I remember the women, mothers being overwhelmed, weeping, full of emotion when they saw that under the tree would be gifts for their children and for them. That there would be food and treats and that the transition house staff and team in the home were going to still move forward to provide some normalcy of celebration – even when nothing was normal.
As we all shelter in our homes to keep safe from this pandemic….just remember that many women and children will be fleeing violence….they will be leaving their homes to just keep safe….to just stay alive.
