As the Project Manager at the Monadnock Area Transitional Shelter, part of Susan Howard’s job is to hold office hours every Tuesday at The River Center in Peterborough. While there, she meets with people not living at the shelter who might need her advice. Hence, she talks with many citizens who are experiencing a difficult situation, offering them advice, compassion and guidance in an effort to prevent homelessness for them. For over a year, Susan has been working with one such woman who lives in the greater Monadnock region and who goes to TRC to meet with Susan periodically.
For most of her life, this woman enjoyed a happy existence both as a child and as an adult with a happy marriage and a good job, albeit the job proved to be a stressful one. However, after her parents and then, a few years later, her husband passed away everything changed. Being vulnerable, she has experienced abusive situations in recent years, often making her feel like she is invisible and of no worth. And she has found herself losing the self-confidence and solid decision making abilities she once enjoyed – all slowly eroding away due to unhealthy relationships.
This woman currently has many doctor and other support appointments that take a great deal of her time. One of the people she sees told her that she might find assistance through a couple of local organizations that help abused people — one being at Bridges in Nashua and the other at MATS. Hence, she met Susan at TRC who, I was told, has been wonderful.
Sometimes when she is unable to get to TRC, she calls Susan, who returns her calls as soon as possible. Susan is very supportive, and it is clear that “when I am with her, she cares about me and what I am experiencing, whether I am physically sitting with her or we are talking on the phone”. Susan is a patient listener, she continued, laying out options when the woman is confused about a decision she needs to make.
“Susan has helped me emotionally and mentally. So much overwhelms me, but Susan is a positive and gentle guide, ready to lend a helping hand, even when she [Susan] was dealing with the recent death of her son.”
The woman hopes to find a place of her own soon where she can “start over” with her life, and she plans to stay in touch with Susan. A short term goal for this person is to find a part-time job and, long-term, to move to a country setting where she and her beloved dogs can happily exist in a more natural setting. She wants to rebuild her life – physically and emotionally – as well as to rebuild relationships with family and friends. One of her four siblings, her twin brother, calls her every week offering her encouragement which has been very comforting for sure.
Meeting someone like Susan as well as meeting the people at Bridges in Nashua has offered hope to this woman, and she expressed her gratitude to both organizations for their assistance. Even though she still feels like she is “in a fog,” I felt that she is bravely taking the next steps of getting her life back together. And I wish her great success, indeed!
At the recent meeting of Monadnock Men with a Mission, MATS was awarded money to start a fund, the Steven Fund for Kids, which will help the children at MATS be able to take advantage of various activities in our area which incur costs, especially summer activities. Thank you to the men of this group!
WISH LIST: Reliable car; Pampers (new born and up), wipes, Pull-ups; feminine products; gas and/or gift cards from local stores for items which cannot be purchased with food stamps. Items that can be mailed may be sent to P. O. Box 3053 in Peterborough. Or call the MATS office and leave a message for Susan at 924-5033. Thank you very much!
Hope Pettegrew is a MATS volunteer.