We asked a couple of the Night Support Workers at our women’s shelter, Spring of Hope, to share some observations from their night shifts. Here’s what they shared, about the amazing, resilient women who stay at the shelter.

“We don’t know much about the backgrounds of the women, or what they went through before they got here. We only know the reasons for their referral to Spring of Hope, such as domestic abuse, housing or immigration issues etc.”

“What stands out are the joyful moments. There are really lovely moments that touch me, in which the women show such resilience. There is such a contrast between the powerful joy and the unimaginable situations they are in. I can’t honestly say that I would be as positive as I’ve seen some of the woman be.”

“Some examples: One woman was so excited about the balloon fiesta that she went there every day to watch them set up, and afterwards to see the pack down. Another woman taught us a traditional dance and we were dancing together in the living room/office. Another was so proud when it was Somali Independence Day that she proudly showed us the colour of her headscarf to match the flag and taught us all about the history, even though she can’t speak English and we can’t speak Somali! Another woman is always smiling when she comes in and watching fun videos on her phone, and yet another could easily be a standup comedian. Despite the humour, I’m sure from the little I know, she is going through more than I could ever imagine.”

“This isn’t to take away from the awful catch 22 situations that they are in, or the trauma they have had and are still facing, or the lack of mental health services, or knowing that when the women leave in the morning some of them are going to have to walk around all day with nowhere to go and no family to call on.”

“I just wanted to share another side to it, that it’s a privilege to be around the women and their strength and faith to keep going.”

“A couple of the women staying at the night shelter have been attending the Beauty of Caring sessions during the daytime and have been excited to tell us about the sessions and show us the products they made there. Others have really appreciated being able to take and use skincare products donated to Spring of Hope.”

“It’s been lovely to see women who share a home country connecting with each other in their own language and sometimes teaching the staff a few words! Although there have been a couple of difficulties and conflicts between women from different backgrounds, the women here generally show kindness and warmth to each other across language barriers and cultural differences, exchanging greetings and sometimes sharing food with each other.”