Good evening ladies and gentlemen. 

My name is Mary*.  I would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone for inviting me here, and to say what a great honor it is for me to be speaking to you on behalf of our homeless community. 

My story doesn’t begin with drugs. Just a series of unfortunate circumstances. I was employed as a waitress, until physical ailments forced me to quit. 

Then in November 2002 my husband passed away.  Not only did I loose my soul mate, I also lost my financial and emotional support.  Little did I know how much my life would change.  Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would become homeless. But it happened. 

I started living with family and friends. But with no income of my own, it was hard for anyone, even family to support me. 

Finally my friend with whom I was staying with at the time, went on the Internet and found Hilda’s Place. But before finding Hilda’s Place, there were times I felt bounced around more than a basketball. 

But seriously, being homeless can be very scary. It can take away your dignity and self-respect.  Just everyday things such as being able to get a drink of water or even washing your hands, seem out of reach. 

A lot of people have a preconceived notion of what homeless people look like. And they are wrong.

People seem to think that all homeless people are dirty, smelly, and beg for money. Well that’s not always the case. I’m neither smelly or dirty and I don’t beg for money. As you can see I don’t fit the stereotype of a homeless person.  So what does a homeless person look like? 

Some people become homeless due to unfortunate circumstances. Some homeless people are working and being productive, so that they can become self sufficient in their own right and move on to better things.  

When I came to Hilda’s I was scared, I felt helpless and I felt all alone.  I was thinking could it get any worse. 

After a couple of weeks, I made some friends.  One woman in particular took me under her wing and showed me the ropes. 

I wanted to participate and I was one of the people that was able to participate.  She taught me about chores, I could do laundry, and she even loaned me a few dollars to treat myself to coffee. 

During this period, I was also becoming closer to the staff.

I quickly learned that I could trust them.  Whatever I had to say was kept in confidence.  They treated me with the utmost dignity and respect. 

This respect and trust really hit home.  At the beginning of my stay, I was suffering from severe physical ailments due to stress.  Never did they judge me. They kept everything in confidence and went out of their way to make me feel comfortable. 

Finally, after a couple of months, I felt like a flower opening for the first time. I was coming out of my shell.  I felt like a human being again. 

Now, I started making friends in the Evanston community. People who I started talking to started making me lunches. These lunches were not very elaborate, but they were worth more than a million dollars to me.  I am happy to call many of these people friends.  They did not care that I lived at Hilda’s Place. 

The staff continued to be there for me. The only thing missing was my independence.  My ability to come and go as I please and not have rules, though needed for this shelter.  Still hard when you are an older person. 

Then the day finally came.  After three years of frustration, trying to make sense of a system of bureaucratic paperwork, and many battles, my disability came through.  That was January 20^th, 2006. 

Today I am happy to announce that I now have my own apartment, my own space after so many years of dependency, of feeling lost and scared. 

Today I am ecstatic, overwhelmed and just in awe. 

I now know I have people at Hilda’s I can trust, count on and depend on.  These are called friends.  

*For privacy protection, not her real name.

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Contact us! Date last updated: 04/23/06