Victoria is a single mother of two wonderful children and is actively working to better herself, so she can be the best version of herself for her and her kids. Victoria experienced trauma throughout her childhood and had a difficult upbringing. Victoria was emotionally and physically abused by her stepdad throughout her childhood. At a young age, Victoria was sexually abused, and it continued into her teenage years. This led Victoria to drop out of high school, have a lifetime battle with mental health, and struggle with drugs and homelessness. As a teenager, she miscarried a baby and felt the loss so deeply that it was very difficult for her to move forward.
Victoria eventually received her high school diploma and became pregnant again at the age of 18. During this time, Victoria was working full-time and felt that her life was on the right track. Years later, Victoria found herself in a very unhealthy relationship. She and her boyfriend struggled with drug addiction, and her daughter lived with her parents for a period of time. Over the course of the relationship, Victoria was often abused physically and emotionally.
She experienced a domestic assault that was so severe, she ended up in the hospital. Victoria suffered a traumatic brain injury, broken bones in her hand, and she was told she would lose her pregnancy of six weeks. Against all odds, she made it to full-term and gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Victoria still struggled with addiction, fragile mental health, finding healthy relationships, and homelessness.
Dealing with her grief after losing her father, pushed Victoria to work at picking up the pieces of her life. With the support of her mom and stepdad, she was able to connect with local resources, and eventually found a home at NUMAS Haus. Victoria stated, “It’s time to stand up for myself and my son to do things right.” While at NUMAS Haus, Victoria has been able to provide a safe living environment for her son. Victoria said, “I feel so supported here, and I have been able to get new clothing for my son, which I have never been able to do before”.
Victoria has built strong bonds with the other women living at NUMAS Haus, which has allowed her to grow and develop healthy relationship skills. She stated, “My son is happy here and that is very important to me”. She has been able to get her son enrolled in school, set up dental, doctor, and therapy appointments for both of them, receive help with transportation to these appointments, replace important but lost documents, and pay off past unpaid bills by saving money she has earned.
Victoria is working towards getting her driver’s license and securing stable housing. “With the help of NUMAS Haus, I have been able to accomplish so much, and I have never been this successful until now!” Victoria is thankful for the staff and volunteers for helping her accomplish so much and being by her side through it all.