Abuse Victim Finds Hope at Salvation Army Shelter
Her father was a pedophile. Her mother was an alcoholic. And, from ages three to 12, Laverna Wabash was terrorized physically and sexually by men on her First Nations reserve. Some were relatives who held powerful positions. Says Laverna: “I lived from crisis to crisis with no end in sight.”
The reserve Laverna was born and raised on in Saskatchewan was infested with widespread corruption and drug and alcohol abuse. Home was overrun with chaos, addiction, and unpredictability. At age three, Laverna’s mother placed her in foster care on the reserve. It wasn’t long before those whom she trusted and depended on, physically and sexually assaulted her. She was too young to protect herself and stop it. What began gradually increased over time and, by age 12, the abuse was a daily occurrence.
“No one believed the assaults were possible and my abusers were never held accountable for their actions,” Laverna tearfully recalls. “I was hurt, angry and confused. I ran away.” Laverna was eventually removed from foster care and placed in a group home. Although she thrived somewhat here, went to school and held a job, deep, long-lasting scars were in place.
On her 16th birthday Laverna returned to the reserve to live with her grandfather. Before long friends introduced her to illegal intravenous drug use and she quickly became addicted. And, the anger she felt from her abuse was so powerful she would explode like an enraged tiger. She was tough as leather.
At age 18 Laverna left for Saskatoon to reunite with her mother who was dying of cirrhosis of the liver. But she didn’t fit in with family there. Many were prostitutes, junkies and gang members. She wanted a different life. Having no options, she returned to the reserve.
Laverna married and, soon after, spousal abuse raged on behind closed doors. She fled for Calgary where she lived in poverty. “For two weeks I slept on a floor mat in a warehouse-like shelter alongside criminals, pedophiles and mentally ill. Bed-bug bites were irritating and conditions were unhygienic and unsanitary. So I hit the streets.”
Laverna slept under bridges and on park benches. She begged for food or shuffled into soup kitchens. She was dirty, beaten down and hopeless. Street friends told her she could shower at The Salvation Army’s Centre of Hope, located in Calgary’s downtown core.
“The centre was clean and I felt safe there,” says Laverna. “They offered me a bed to sleep on, and food. I was no longer a nameless life on the street. They Army called me by name and treated me with respect.” Two-and-a-half months later, Laverna secured a job as a supervisor at a demolition company, moved into her own apartment, and returned to school part-time.
When Laverna became pregnant with her first child she quit work to maintain a healthy pregnancy. But, her new partner was unstable and she ended up homeless and alone again.
In 2010, the pregnant 35-year-old returned to The Salvation Army’s Centre of Hope. A new women’s residential program was in place for homeless or transient women. Here emergency and transitional beds for up to 24 women and families are located on one floor. The relaxed, homelike, but structured environment gives women in crisis tools to help change their lives for the better.
Services include group and individual counselling, anger management classes, employment assistance, transportation assistance, and access to other resources such as housing assistance. Life and problem-solving skills are taught so residents can successfully manage themselves, family, and career when they leave.
“The Salvation Army gave me hope,” says Laverna. “They got me off my knees and helped me stand up.” When Laverna arrived at the centre she was cold and hard as steel. Programs helped her release buried, painful emotions. Trust was rebuilt and she is no longer held by the grip of anger.
“This place changed my life,” says Laverna. “My self-worth was restored. I have forgiven those who hurt me and I’m moving forward to provide a good life for myself and my child.”
