My name is Diana Gutierrez and I am a
resident of Henry Street. For three and a half years I was effectively homeless.
What had happened was I had broken up with
the boyfriend at the time and I didn't really have a place to live and it was
hard for me to really find a place that I could afford.
I entered a relationship that was very
abusive, not really outright physical but it was a lot more like manipulation and it
kept me in a perpetual state of homelessness basically.
I think he liked the fact that I was homeless because I was almost powerless.
It wouldn't have taken much more for me to end up in the shelter system.
I applied to Henry Street Settlement and it took three years before I could get an
apartment here and then when I finally was accepted here and I moved in because I had
this place, I could leave him and basically I feel like I escaped.
So without Henry Street I think it would have taken me a lot longer
to leave him and so I am grateful and happy in so many ways.
I really, really like it.
Knowing that I had this place and no one could take it from me, that was wonderful.
That was very healing and that made it
possible for me to be creative again and just have that space and it's not just the
external space, there's something it has to do with the internal space as well
because now I wasn't using up all my resources scrambling for a place to stay.
I am a crafter and seamstress and fiber artist I guess by trade.
I was starting to look into starting my own business.
I wanted to start out with small accessories, making these items to sell,
starting very humbly, just as a little bit of extra pocket money.
So that was going to be a start and I was
also going to be teaching workshops prior to COVID.
I feel like this is unlike any crisis that we've experienced.
For a little while I was making masks to distribute to some of my neighbors and
friends and prior to COVID, I became a member at a maker space.
They work together with a conglomerate of
maker spaces called New York City Makes PPE.
I volunteered to start producing face masks, those plastic face shields.
So I was part of that team and we were
making thousands and thousands and thousands of
these face shields and that felt very good because it kept me occupied.
But also knowing that this is going to
healthcare workers. Everybody is directly and indirectly impacted.
In a way you can't look away from, you can't unsee it, you can't ignore it.
I feel or I hope that
Henry Street Settlement will be like a lighthouse out in the storm.