A Survivor Story
Safety in heart, home, and pantry – Food insecurity and survivor wellbeing
Immigrating from South America, the survivor* struggled to land on their feet. The survivor tried to maintain their family household on their income alone, but home life deteriorated as their abuser became more physically violent and refused to contribute financially at all to their home. Quickly, they found themselves in housing court and were facing eviction.
They sought help at Voces Latina, where staff recognized that they were a survivor of intimate partner violence and referred them to DVP. With eviction proceedings underway, DVP Advocate Melissa Portillo worked with the survivor to understand their housing rights and support their transition to a shelter. It was a challenging and traumatic time, but having Advocate Portillo made the survivor feel supported for the next steps in their family’s life. For a moment, things seemed to be growing more stable. However, while at a DVP event, the survivor revealed that they were facing serious issues with their SNAP benefits and were uncertain about where their next meals would come from.
Be Heard.
Together with the survivor, Advocate Portillo logged into their HRA benefits account and found that their December SNAP benefits inexplicably hadn’t yet been awarded, despite having all paperwork and eligibility in order. Their food benefit balance was $0. Immediately the survivor was worried; having little at home to cook with to feed themself and their child, what were they supposed to do until December’s SNAP benefits loaded.
Be Free.
Stepping in to soothe the survivor’s concerns, Advocate Portillo got her client approved for DVP direct assistance. Direct assistance for clients is meant to relieve emergency moments of food insecurity – which was certainly the case here. DVP approved an Instacart order to cover the days SNAP did not provide funds. Advocate Portillo supported the survivor in placing the order, selecting the items the survivor needed, and even scheduled same-day delivery to the survivor’s home. Food was welcomed on time by the survivor and their child. After being assisted, the survivor sent a grateful message to their Advocate:
“You don’t know the relief and joy I felt being able to open my refrigerator and seeing that it was full and not having to worry my son about limited food options.
This is truly a blessing, and I pray and hope this blessing can be multiplied seven times back to all of you. You have all been there for me in times where I felt I did not have anyone else in my corner to help my family. Thank you for always being there and your help.”
*For confidentiality and safety, this story is shared anonymously. Please note, the use of the pronouns “they/their/theirs” is used throughout as the neutral form. It is not meant to reflect any individual’s chosen pronouns.
