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Erica’s Story

My name is Erica and I am 39 years old. My

sobriety date is January 14 2011 and my “off the

streets” date is September of 2011.

Addiction and Alcoholism run in my family. I

had been employed for about 6 years utilizing

my degree in office administration when around

the age of thirty a traumatic event occurred in

my life that really set off my addiction. Once in

active addiction my life fell out from under me

very quickly and I soon found myself homeless.

I hit my bottom in 2010 when my friend was arrested for drugs and I was

given an ultimatum, get clean and get my life together or go to jail. I started

attending court ordered AA/NA meetings trying to get sober. However, I

was still out on the streets and it was a very difficult to transition between

the life I had known for the last 10 years and the sober life that I was

longing for.

I was lucky to find the Guerneville homeless shelter during those

winter months. It provided me with consistency and a foundation. I spent

the following weeks sleeping at the shelter, receiving help from the

counselors and attending twelve step meetings. I needed the stabilizing

effect of the shelter to allow me to begin to get my life together. I made

important connections there which helped me to regain my balance, my

direction and my sanity. I became involved in service, started volunteering,

cooking meals for folks at the Empowerment center and eventually began

working at the shelter.

The last few years have been full of wonderful and exciting events. My

life today has become just that, a LIFE. I now work for West County

Community Services as a Program Aid. I have a home and I give back to

my community daily.

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Tina’s Story

Diagnosed with PTSD related to

childhood family problems, drugs

and alcohol were the only way I knew to cope with my feelings of

worthlessness, loss of hope, and

despair. Addiction permeated my life

to such a degree that

homelessness had been an ongoing

issue for

many years.

In 2006 I was homeless,

ashamed, hungry and seemingly

alone. My self-hatred and desperation were so intense that I thought suicide was the

only solution to my problems. It was at this time, that a woman from the Guerneville

Community Church gave me a hotdog at a free food event in the Guerneville plaza. She

reached out to me, talked to me like another human being and awakened my spirit and

desire to live.

I came into the Guerneville homeless shelter shortly thereafter. The shelter provided

me safety, warmth and sustenance. I was able to drop my guard, relax and actually get

some sleep. The shelter gave me a breath. Over the next couple of months I was given

help finding a counselor, permanent housing and other living essentials. I started

regularly attending twelve step meetings which fed me spiritually, helped me build a

support network and gave me a program for recovery.

I moved from the shelter and into my current residence in 2007. I feel very passionate

about those who are still homeless in our community. I have worked at the shelter for

the last 4 years in order to help those still struggling with homelessness and addiction. It

is the one on one human contact that changed my life and the shelter gave me a safe

place for that contact to begin to happen. I am extremely grateful for the Guerneville homeless shelter and proud to be able to contribute there and be an integral part of

support that they provide.

W C W S West County Winter Shelter 

Anthony’s Story

Anthony was a foster child and when

he was seventeen, he was in a horrific

hiking accident at Lake Arrowhead

which resulted in him suffering severe

brain damage. When Anthony came

into the shelter, he was homeless due

to being evicted from his house

because his roommate wasn’t paying

the rent. It was winter and cold and he

had nowhere else to go. When the

shelter closed Anthony, received help

through the Empowerment center to

secure full-time housing in Guerneville.

Once in housing Anthony was eager to contribute to society. David, a

shelter volunteer helped buy him some boots and gave him some yard

work at his house. Over the past year, Anthony has established

himself as an integral part of our community, not just through cleaning

the streets, but through his desire to outreach to the less fortunate and

to be a bridge between the business community and the homeless

community. The Chamber of Commerce loaned him the cleaning cart

and broom, and a few business have donated money. Anthony is a

great example of how someone with a “disability” can be such an

important part of our community and of what makes Guerneville an all

inclusive place to call home. There is nothing “disabled” about

Anthony. Anthony is all about “ability” and a shining example of how

our shelter can enable our community to become stronger.

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March 2014 WINTER SHELTER VOLUNTEER SCHDULE

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