Real Stories

From Victim to Survivor to Advocate

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We all have a lot of advocacy to do to ensure that all community members -- including survivors of domestic violence -- have the opportunity to live in a safe, healthy, affordable home. To inspire you to take action, we're sharing a moving post by Firesteel's first advocacy intern, Carissa Daniels. A survivor of domestic violence who experienced homelessness with her daughter, Carissa is now a strong voice for ending domestic violence and its devastating effects.

“This Hits Close to Home”: Advocate Shines Light on Hidden Student Homelessness

Brandy Sincyr, Homeless Student Advocate and Program Assistant at Columbia Legal Services, recently created a report that highlights state data showing that schools are under-identifying students experiencing homelessness. Photo courtesy Columbia Legal Services.
Brandy Sincyr, Homeless Student Advocate and Program Assistant at Columbia Legal Services, recently created a report that highlights state data showing that schools are under-identifying students experiencing homelessness. Photo courtesy Columbia Legal Services.
In the 2011-2012 school year, more than 14,000 Washington students experienced homelessness without their schools knowing. This means they didn't get the resources and protections that are available to all homeless students. Brandy Sincyr, a homeless student advocate and program assistant at Columbia Legal Services, shares a personal story that illustrates why it is so important to close the gap in identifying homeless students.

“I Know I’m on the Right Path”: Determined to Graduate Despite Homelessness

Ashley Danielson talks about her experience with homelessness with her former case manager, Marty Shaw, in a new StoryCorps "Finding Our Way" story. Image credit: StoryCorps.
Ashley Danielson talks about her experience with homelessness with her former case manager, Marty Shaw, in a new StoryCorps "Finding Our Way" story. Image credit: StoryCorps.
Ashley Danielson attended five different elementary schools while her family experienced homelessness, bouncing from staying in motels to doubling up with relatives to living in the family car. She missed most of the fourth grade. "We were moving, and there were so many things to do and I just couldn’t go to school," Ashley tells her former case manager from Cocoon House, Marty Shaw, in the newest story produced from the "Finding Our Way" StoryCorps project.
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