Rosalie is a Caribbean-American woman, with a 4-year-old son. She sought Refuge House’s crisis hotline after fleeing to escape domestic violence. Rosalie and her son entered the Leon County Emergency Shelter in December 2022. She was urgently seeking support, housing, healing, and safety.
Rosalie’s journey to self-sufficiency began quickly and she showed no signs of slowing down. From intake to the present, Rosalie has engaged in case management, counseling, and empowerment groups, to help meet her goals. Rosalie knew and wanted to take advantage of additional support services that were offered during her engagement in case management. She received information and applied for the Transitional Housing Program. The Transitional Housing Program was able to meet her needs and concerns that she had in regard to safety. The security and support at Safe Haven, one of our Transitional Housing sites, offered a solid foundation for her to plan, strategize, and implement actions around her goals.
Rosalie works diligently to ensure that she and her son are on a path to self-sufficiency. She has maintained consistent full-time employment in a local restaurant and was recently offered a managerial role. Her son is also excelling — in VPK! In June of 2023, she transitioned to the Scatter Site sector of the Transitional Housing Program and is the leaseholder of her own unit — another self-sufficiency milestone. This was a major accomplishment due to the barriers that Rosalie faced. Rosalie has engaged in services with the Hancock Whitney Bank’s financial empowerment group offered at Refuge House. She has begun to work on her credit repair issues that were created by her abuser who utilized power and control of her financial worthiness. Her current landlord is prepared to offer her a continued lease after she graduates from the Transitional Housing Program; another goal completed.
Recently, Rosalie chose to continue her education to further propel her earning potential. This August, she began the REfire Culinary Program. She excitedly refers to herself as “chef”. She has shared many times that becoming a chef has been a lifetime goal and dream for her. In twelve weeks, Rosalie will have a culinary arts certification, increased job prospects, and an unobstructed path to self-sufficiency.