Mariah came to Samaritan, lost and out of options. She was homeless and living in her car. Her most recent relationship had imploded. She was using marijuana, trying to soothe her stress. She knew she needed help.
Mariah’s childhood and adolescence was a story of trauma. She was a helpless witness to her severely mentally ill father’s arrests, suicide attempts and hospitalizations. Her mother‘s energy had gone mainly to caring for her husband, leaving very little love and attention for her daughter. The family moved often and Mariah remembers never living in a place long enough to develop real friendships.
Despite these formidable obstacles, Mariah went to college – the first person in her family to do so. After she graduated, she moved to Seattle, taking a job at a community agency that paid less than $15,000 a year. She struggled financially, lived with five roommates, and found herself jumping from relationship to relationship. The stability she longed for eluded her. When she was unable to afford her rent, she began living in her car. She felt her motivation slipping away. She began to lose hope.
Somehow Mariah heard about Samaritan Center and she summoned the courage to call. That one phone call changed her story of loss and trauma to a story of hope and healing. For $15 a session, Mariah met with a therapist who was able to connect deeply with her pain. Together they talked about the trauma Mariah had endured as a child. The therapist helped her navigate healthier ways of being in relationships. She began to believe in herself again.
Mariah has stopped using substances and has some new job prospects. She hopes to find housing soon. Thanks to the relationship she and her therapist developed and the healing that resulted, new doors are opening for Mariah.