“We met Trisha back in 2015 when she was living in a broken down RV without electricity or water on a vacant lot. She had been unemployed since 2011. Trisha volunteered with us at the Compassion Care Center from July 2017-July 2018 and just started volunteering again this year on her days off. The following is her success story.” -Jennelle Esquivel, Compassion Connect Arizona Regional Director
“In 2011 I had to foreclose on my $420,000 house, sell my Mercedes and move. My husband found a cheap house that was pretty far out in the boonies. One day the car died and after that I couldn’t get to work so I lost my job.
The neighborhood where we lived had dirt roads and a lot of open desert and the closest store was 3.5 miles away. I had to walk to that store many times. It was seven miles round trip and carrying the food back was hard. I was getting food stamps as well, but we had no money. I always said that if someone was to put a gun to my head to get a dollar, I would not have been able to come up with it.
My husband was addicted to pain pills and morphine and couldn’t work because of his self-induced state. We ended up having to move out of the house he found and went to stay with someone in the neighborhood that my husband had met. We stayed with him for almost a year.
“I always said that if someone was to put a gun to my head to get a dollar, I would not have been able to come up with it.”
I was collecting unemployment, which was the only source of income for three of us. I finally did convince the landlord to let my husband and I move into his abandoned house next door and we lived there three years until the owner sold it. We didn’t have running water so I had to haul water a quarter of a mile in gallon containers in a wheelbarrow. Someone also let me get water out of their hose.
Trying to Fix the Situation
I felt hopeless many times. I tried hitchhiking but that was not a great option and no one would pick me up. There was no way I could get a job without a car in that area. I knew I needed to get out of this situation, but I have no family left and my husband’s family would not help because they knew of his drug abuse. No one realized he couldn’t or wouldn’t function.
We had a lot of cats and I put a notice on Craigslist that I needed pet food. I got a lot of help from people, some of whom I’m still friends with. They also helped with me getting out a little more and because of that I was able to meet the people at the Compassion Care Center.
At the time I had been using someone’s internet and was going to school online. I was able to borrow a computer and one of the women that helped with my pets paid for internet service for me.
I was getting some money per month from the student loan and trying to save to get a car so I could get a job, but then the owner of the house we were in told us he sold it and we had to move. I looked at rents with first and last and I just didn’t have the money. Plus, I didn’t think I’d be able to pay another month in time so I looked at motorhomes and found an old one for $1,500. Still no running water but we did have some electric.
Finally, when my unemployment was over and had no more student loans, my husband left. He checked into a mental hospital and I haven’t seen him since. It’s been six years.
The Next Stage
After he left I lived in my motorhome for five more years. People from the Compassion Care Center would bring me food and clothes. They gave me hope, and I really liked talking with them. I was surrounded by people with drug and alcohol problems and I needed to speak to someone I could trust.
I had gotten down so far that it took a lot of help to get back up. More people moved into the area and I started getting help from my new neighbors who are now my best friends.
“People from the Compassion Care Center would bring me food and clothes. They gave me hope, and I really liked talking with them. I was surrounded by people with drug and alcohol problems and I needed to speak to someone I could trust.”
A lady that owned a cleaning business in the area hired me to clean houses. I did that part time for a year until she retired. My friend Al also gave me a car so I was able to look for work. It had been a while since I worked and wasn’t sure I could it do it. I got a job at Walmart but got fired after five months.
I kept applying for jobs but my history and background checks kept me from getting hired. I was older and I couldn’t do very physical work. Before all this started, I was a project coordinator for some bigger IT companies but I couldn’t get close to that type of job. So after Walmart I was sick of applying and getting no response.
One day after a very bad job interview, I went directly to the Compassion Care Center in tears and spoke with Pat. She said they might be able to help with work experience and job services.
I volunteered at Redeemed Threads (the Compassion Care Center’s thrift store) for almost a year. They were able to reimburse me for gas which helped a lot, not only with money but by offering me something stable. I was acclimating myself to get out there every day, and most important, to stick to my commitments and do what I say I will do.
“One day after a very bad job interview, I went directly to the Compassion Care Center in tears and spoke with Pat. She said they might be able to help with work experience and job services.”
Seeing Changes
Before the Compassion Care Center I was drinking a lot, but I quit while working there. I have so much respect for Jennelle and all the people at the CCC and they were so supportive of me that I just didn’t want to drink or do any type of drugs any more. I felt like I was part of a healthy environment and was able to build a stronger foundation for myself because of it. I started feeling like a real person again, and found friends.
All that time I spent in the desert and the motor home I always felt bad about myself and carried that with me everywhere. It’s no wonder I didn’t get a job. I had a lot of help from a lot of people, and given the situation I was in, I needed it. But the Compassion Care Center gave me the time and the compassion to let me build strength in myself.
Trisha at the Compassion Care Center
In July 2018 I was hired on full time at the prison. I drive 37 miles each way in a car I bought with my first check. I buy my own clothes and food now. One of my neighbors let me move in to his house and I pay rent and utilities. I’m going back to school soon and hopefully will move into my own place in about six months. I go to AA meetings as much as I can.
“I had a lot of help from a lot of people, and given the situation I was in, I needed it. But the Compassion Care Center gave me the time and the compassion to let me build strength in myself.”
I’m still getting back on my feet, but I feel confident and strong now. I am starting another chapter in my life, and it’s going to be a positive one. I love being at the Care Center and still volunteer every week on my day off.
I owe my new life to the help of everyone along the way, but I found solid ground with the help of Jennelle, Pat and the Compassion Care Center. Thank you all so much. I love you all.”
–Trisha
Some of the services the Compassion Care Center was able to offer me:
- Job experience for my resume
- Resume building help
- Letters of recommendation
- Help obtaining paperwork such as copies of my GED, birth certificate, and background checks
- Help cleaning up my credit profile so I could pass a credit check
- Food boxes, hygiene products, clothes
- Furniture
Learn more about the Compassion Care Center here or visit our Facebook page here.
