Sylvia's Story

Sylvia's Story appeared in our December 2009 fundraising appeal

Sylvia Welch was homeless, addicted to drugs and lived most of her life in abandoned buildings near Fairgrounds Park. This is a picture of one of the park benches she frequented, feeling that it was one of the only ways for her to sleep safely. Community Alternatives caseworker John Higgins heard about Sylvia and upon visiting her, saw the light in her eyes and smile and that meant not giving up on her, no matter what...

Sylvia Welch is a very special person with an infectious smile. The moment you meet her, you sense that she is one of the happiest people you know. It wasn’t always that way though.  Sylvia was living an out-of-control life on the streets, addicted to drugs and subjected to the unimaginable torment of mental illness. She is forty-nine years old and has lived most of it in abandoned buildings near Fairgrounds Park; spending much of the day sleeping on the park benches. It’s safer to sleep that way. She had a rough childhood that transitioned into the seemingly never-ending cycle of mental illness, drug addiction and homelessness. Sylvia also heard voices as a child that no one else did.

Community Alternatives’ homeless outreach team heard about Sylvia several years ago. They would travel to her neighborhood and look for her to offer food or shelter. She vehemently rejected them time and time again. Who could she possibly trust after being on the streets all those years? She would persistently yell at them, “Just leave me alone, I don’t want your help!”

CA caseworker John Higgins began what would become a mission: Saving Sylvia. He saw the light in her eyes and smile and that meant not giving up on her, no matter what her objections. John and other caseworkers on his Team started showing up all the time. “They would leave and come back the next day, and the next, they never gave up on me,” she said. Finally, they got Sylvia to accept a few small things here & there: a sandwich, a soda or maybe a couple of dollars. As the trust level increased, so did her acceptance of them. Then came a turning point where Sylvia finally agreed to social services. The first thing she did was quit drugs. It changed everything.

Everyday is something new for Sylvia. CA’s Assertive Community Treatment team (ACT 1) helped her get a Shelter Plus Care housing voucher, which enabled her to get her own apartment. Once in stable housing, Sylvia had a new world open up. This past year has brought many wonderful firsts for Sylvia. With the help of her Team, small steps and increasing progress, she has for the first time: lived in her own place; cooked a meal; paid bills; went to medical and dental appointments; rode the bus; took her grandchildren to McDonald’s; had a Halloween party; baked cookies.

Assertive Community Treatment focuses on daily living for the whole person and provides services across many areas including things like cooking lessons and riding the bus. The ACT model has been proven to virtually end the cycle of homelessness and Sylvia is its shining star.

Sylvia has also established a warm relationship with her children: “My kids respect me now, way more since I’ve been sober. They visit me now and I am so happy and thankful to my Team.” Sylvia is very excited to be relocating to a single family home in the next few weeks: “It has an upstairs and a yard for my grandkids when they visit.” She is also excited that her new landlord has agreed to let her have a kitten. “I love animals,” she said, “all animals and I can’t wait to have one of my own.” This is another first for Sylvia.

We saved the best first experience for last. November marked the first anniversary of Sylvia’s sobriety and independence in her own home.