Women's Shelters

My two babies ages 3,4 and I are looking for a place to stay.

Women of Nations was a horrible place to stay. When staff quizzed women if they'd rather go back to abuser of this shelter, all said back to abuse. I will never forget incidents like this: - Women/kids forced to clean the shelter or threatened they will be kicked out. My child required medical treatment in Rochester - over 1 hour drive one way. I was forced to get up early every morning and scrub toilets or mop floors before going to the hospital. - There was a beautiful playroom. Kids never allowed inside. It was locked with a chain and pad a lock at all times. - The women forced to clean shelter for visitors/funders. Then told to leave the shelter so the visitors could tour the shelter. We were dropped off at MOA with no money, no food and no way to call for help. One woman ran into her abuser at the mall and he chased her, and threatened her life. If she was in the shelter, she would have been safe. - No help, support or advocacy. You fend for yourself. When I found transitional housing - it was because I made the effort with no help from staff. WON offered no after care or resources - nothing when I left. - Staff refused to get my child a diaper bc they did not feel like it. My child peed the bed and we were forced to sleep on a urine soaked mattress. - Staff looked through a woman in my room's items. She wrote about her horrible experiences in a journal. Staff took the journal away. - Cramped, overcrowded rooms. The shelter is in poor condition. In the summer the heat is unbearable. - Staff promised to get my child a cake on his birthday. We were homeless bc of abuse and lost everything. The cake was his only gift. Staff forgot to give my child the cake. It never came. My child was so hurt and sad, he cried and had a tantrum for over 20 minutes. Staff then told me I need to make my child quiet bc he is bothering other residents...they did not help or try to fix the problems. - It is overwhelming to escape abuse, become homeless and deal with so much..I never received compassion or support or resources. I felt like WON did not care about my family.