Resilience

From an early age, Jessica has been a survivor and strong self-advocate. After confiding in her mother about being molested by a family member, Jessica was told to “sweep it under the rug and keep it moving.” Jessica knew that was wrong and, at 15 years old, courageously left home to escape sexual abuse.

“The things I went through as a kid affected me growing up and later led me to be around the wrong people, trying to look for love in people, but the love wasn’t genuine. I was trying to look for something or someone I could be loved by because I wasn’t getting that at home.”

Jessica survived the next 13 years experiencing homelessness, and during that time, she had her son. Together, they slept on trains and in shelters and struggled to find housing because of her past involvement with the justice system.

Survival

While staying at a homeless shelter in Chicago, Jessica met a man who was charming and kind to her. She thought he would give her the love she never received from her family. But shortly after moving into an apartment together, the nightmare began. “I feel like he preyed on me because he knew my background with my family and that no family would come looking for me.”

Her then-boyfriend became manipulative and physically abusive, and the unimaginable happened: he began trafficking her. “I remember the first time he sold me to somebody and how much it was for and what it was about and how it was over. That really affected me, and my security, my safety, and my mental illness were really bad.” He trafficked Jessica for the next four years, and toward the end, she became pregnant.

After learning about Mercy Housing Lakefront, Jessica bravely escaped that dangerous situation with her children when she applied and moved her family into their apartment home at Holland Apartments in Chicago’s Roseland community. “Mercy Housing is what helped me get out of that situation because he couldn’t live here. He didn’t have access to me.”

Renewal

In addition to safety, having an affordable home is important to Jessica because it enables her to attend school full-time as she works toward obtaining her high school diploma. She can also afford food, clothing, and toys for her children.

She is also grateful for Mercy Housing’s onsite services that help her navigate life’s challenges. “It’s not just about the financial, it’s emotional support, mental support, and physical support. Tasha [Resident Services Manager] is absolutely amazing, and I love her because I can sit and talk to her and feel like I’m not being judged at all … I could go to her with problems, and we’ll try to figure out how to resolve it or the solution to fix it,” shared Jessica.

Since moving into their new home, Jessica is happy she can give her children the childhood they deserve. “My kids love their rooms and the apartment. My son, because he went through most of the homeless stuff with me, absolutely loves his room … I have him in therapy. He constantly talks about how happy he is about having an apartment and how he still remembers having to sleep on trains, going through shelters, and why he’s so grateful just to have something like this.”