Success Stories
Zufan, Supportive Housing
"This is my story - and it's the only thing I have left. It is not fiction - please, you must use my name." This is how my visit with Zufan began.
Zufan is a 26-year-old mother and refugee from Ethiopia, who arrived in Seattle last year with her 5-year-old son. Their arrival marked the end of a treacherous journey from war, famine and persecution. She and her son traveled for years to get here - they walked the desert in Sudan, where Zufan witnessed her mother's death. Then they lived in a refugee camp for years. They were accepted into The United States as refugees, yet by the time they arrived at their final destination, Seattle, they found themselves in another crisis - homeless.
In Seattle they had plans to stay with the only person they "knew" in America - the brother of a friend of a friend in Ethiopia. They were able to stay with his family for a few weeks, but because of a cramped apartment and limited resources, they were soon asked to leave.
"We had no place to go. I was scared - During the day we can go from place to place, but where do we go at night? - I had no idea," Zufan said.
Zufan found a soup kitchen for dinner that night and explained her situation to one of the staff. They were able to help her by getting them a motel for a night and connecting them with Wellspring Family Services.
Wellspring Family Services arranged emergency shelter at a motel for Zufan and her son for a few more weeks, until a permanent home became available. Roxana became their case manager and within a few weeks helped them move into a brand-new apartment for low-income families.
"When I first stepped inside my new home - I couldn't believe it! I fell to the ground, so full of emotion," Zufan remembers vividly.
Praying in her native language, Zufan was shouting: "Thank you God, Thank you God!"
This was the first home Zufan ever had - and it was more than just one room. "We have a living room, a kitchen, a bedroom for me, and a second bedroom for my son. This is unbelievable - I don't need anything else," Zufan said.
When Roxana came to visit that first day the only thing Zufan had was a tea kettle on her stove.
Roxana rented a truck and took her to pick up furniture and housewares at another non-profit that provides donated goods to homeless families. Roxana also helped her apply for a federal housing subsidy to pay for rent and connected her to a food bank and other resources in the community.
One year later, Zufan and her son are settled into their new lives in Seattle. Zufan is taking English and computer classes at a community college and her son goes to child care. Zufan plans to go to school to become a nurse's assistant after she finishes her English classes.
Zufan volunteers weekly at the food bank and continues to meet with Roxana. Roxana is teaching her basic things that will help her be successful and self-sufficient in her new home - like how to pay a bill, read her mail, and budget for expenses.
Roxana is also helping her cope with all that she's been through. "Now that much of the chaos in her life has stopped and she feels safe and stable for the first time, the trauma from their experiences is coming out," said Roxana. "She didn't have time to grieve her mother's death - she had to keep on going. Now she's stopped - and it's very painful for her to come to terms with the loss of her entire family."
Zufan is writing down all of her feelings and memories in a journal. "If I don't write it down, I'm afraid I'll forget." She wants to write a book about her life, and her goal is to be able to write it all in English.
Stories like Zufan's are not uncommon. The complex problems she faced are similiar to what many families we help are dealing with: trauma, homelessness, violence, poverty and a lack of basic resources. Once a family finds stability again, it changes the life and the path of every member of the family. Each family's, story is unique, but the end results are the same - a new life, with the world of opportunity opening up.
As Zufan finished telling her story, emotions flowed from her words.
"I don't have my family anymore - but now I have Wellspring Family Services. I write about Wellspring Family Services in my journal and pray for Wellspring Family Services every day."
"Thank you Wellspring Family Services."