Janissa T.: Building a Home with Love
By Henry Street Settlement
This story was part of a collection of first-person stories shared in our Fall Newsletter: Telling Our Stories. Janissa is a participant in Henry Street’s Dale Jones Burch Neighborhood Center.
I moved out of a domestic violence shelter in August 2024, after living there for almost three years. My son and daughter were 5 and 4 at the time. The shelter offered daycare, and they helped you out. There was a weekly meeting I liked. You’re trying to heal, and sometimes you feel like you don’t want to do it, but you have to because you have children. So, I prepared myself to be on my own.
I was 16 and he was 18 when I met him. We were young, trying to do adult things. Things got physical because we didn’t know how to sort out our feelings. After I had my son, I didn’t want to fight anymore. My priority was raising my son in a healthy environment. I was afraid to go into a shelter, but I had to out of despair for my children.
When I moved into my apartment, I didn’t have enough resources to really restart my life. The Human Resources Administration gives you money for beds and a few household products, but it wasn’t enough. A neighbor who came from the same shelter told me that someone had gotten help from Henry Street Settlement. I sat on the phone number for two or three months before I gave Jose [Acosta Tejada] a call. It’s hard to receive help—and I’d contacted resources previously that weren’t much help. When my son said he was tired of eating on the floor, I knew it was time to make the call.
When you’ve been in a DV situation with a man, it’s hard to speak to men. I felt heard and cared for. [Jose] trusted me.
Jose was informative and easy to talk to; his main concern was getting me what I needed. I couldn’t believe how kind he was. When you’ve been in a DV situation with a man, it’s hard to speak to men. I felt heard and cared for. He trusted me.
Janissa T. enjoys a moment with her two children in their home.
Henry Street provided money for a couch, three rugs, a dining room table, comforters, a lamp and coffee table, pots and pans, sheets, pillows and cases, and cleaning supplies. It gave me the power to create a home that brought warmth to my family. My children were excited to get the packages; they lay on the couch all day when we received them.
In shelter it wasn’t easy to heal, cry, and process everything I’d been through.
Now, I’m just trying to enjoy moments. In shelter it wasn’t easy to heal, cry, and process everything I’d been through. There was pressure to look for an apartment and a lot of rules. During Covid, I took a six-week class in growing fruits and veggies, and now I’m working toward a certificate. I asked if I could work in my building’s courtyard, growing flowers, herbs, and tomatoes that had been donated, and now I’m planting them. I also make cocoa butter from plants and flowers, and I’m learning about starting my own business.
I’m still in shock at how much help I received for the start of a beautiful new chapter for my family. This grant took a heavy weight off my shoulders and gave me time to breathe and plan my next steps. Words can’t express how grateful I am. My home is beautiful, warm, and filled with love.
