Becoming a mother is a turning point for many of us, and we all need a little mothering ourselves. That’s not easy when you’re a mother facing homelessness due to a relationship breakdown.
Three months after moving into our Karis project to escape an abusive and dangerous relationship Sarah* gave birth to her daughter.
A single mother dealing with a tiny baby in a new and unfamiliar space. Being a single parent is challenging on its own, but even more so when you have the weight of an abusive relationship to process and work through. How do you be a good mum when you haven’t been mothered yourself?
Sarah’s emotions would often spill over and, as she continued to struggle, concerns grew around her capacity to care for her baby.
Some mothers need the warmth of motherly support themselves to be able to build the skills to parent. Our Karis team did just that. They worked closely with the health visitor and a nursery nurse to help Sarah learn the skills she needed in a safe and supportive way. Sarah also began counselling to help to heal her own wounds.
She was able to access funding to begin an arts and a cooking project-creativity is often the route to healing.
Sarah still has her bad days but these are far less than they were and Sarah has built the skills to work through them.
She is a wonderful mother – encouraging her little girl’s development and providing an environment that is stimulating and loving.
Over the past two years, the team at Karis has given Sarah a stable and safe safe to grow; offering a blanket of support to enable her to access the services she has needed to help her move forward.
Sarah is now ready to move on to a private tenancy and a place of her own for her and her daughter where we hope they will have a bright and safe future.
Donate today to show Sarah and women like her your support >