For seven-year-old Alex, home was not a safe place. The family apartment was punctuated by a lot of fighting that would scare him and his brother.
After moving to Second Stage Safe Haven in Saint John, a sense of peace and love began to take over.
“After we moved to Second Stage, I felt better and happier. I love the games and meetings with the staff. I started counselling with staff to help me feel safe, talk about my feelings and make friends,” says Alex, whose colourful drawing of his new home appears above.
“I have met many new friends at Second Stage. At my old apartment, people weren’t allowed to come over, we didn’t go to many places. At Second Stage, my new friends are allowed to come over and play.”
Second Stage Housing, a United Way funded partner, is safe and affordable housing to enable women and their children who have experienced domestic/intimate partner violence to work towards personal and economic independence and a future free of violence.
Thanks to the generosity of United Way donors, children like Alex have an opportunity for a fresh – and safe – start.