At Thorek Memorial Hospital in Andersonville, Candy waited patiently with her young child for her turn to be assessed by LSSI’s Project IMPACT team. She’d come to the hospital in distress, seeking shelter after having been forced out or turned away from other hospitals for “lingering” with her child without needing medical care. When Candy would ask to speak with a social services team or a counselor at other hospitals, she would be told “they are busy” or “they can’t see you now.” Eventually, she was referred to Thorek by a neighboring hospital.
When a Project IMPACT crisis counselor met with Candy and the two women had spent some time together, Candy confided in her counselor that Candy was attempting to escape domestic violence. “It became too much,” said Candy. “I don’t want my kid to go through that, and I don’t want to set that kind of example.”
Noticing Candy’s appearance and after hearing Candy’s story, the counselor reassured Candy that she and her child would be okay and offered them both water and snacks. Candy began to cry, saying, “No one else said we would be okay, and no one even offered us anything.”
During the counselor’s assessment of Candy, Candy indicated that while she didn’t feel safe living at home with her significant other, she also felt scared to move forward–to seek shelter and asylum in an unfamiliar environment.
Candy’s counselor talked with Candy about several options available to Candy and her child. Candy decided to seek shelter in a designated safe haven for victims of domestic abuse and violence. Candy’s counselor began working on the arrangements while Candy and her child rested in the waiting area. The LSSI counselor spent hours making calls and keeping Candy updated, while answering Candy’s questions and addressing her concerns about the process–all while assisting and caring for other patients. All in a day’s work for a Project IMPACT counselor.
Candy and her child arrived safely at a shelter specializing in working with women and children facing abuse. Thanks to her crisis counselor’s empathy, determination, and care for a woman and her child who had been turned away everywhere else, Candy and her child had a place to live and a chance to start anew.
