I Won't Give Up: Elena's Story
Published: November 22, 2011
Elena De' La Rosa doesn't mince words when she speaks of her past.
"I grew up in the system," she revealed within the first few minutes of the interview. "That's why I don't speak much Spanish."
What followed was a troubled history that ends on a note of hope.
When Elena was a young child, her parents separated. Her mother moved to Chicago with Elena and her sisters while Elena's father and brothers stayed behind in Texas. Because Elena's mother was unable to take care of the girls, they were placed into the foster care system. Elena's eldest sister was soon old enough to leave, but Elena and her younger sister stayed together. For many years they lived at Angel Guardian Orphanage in Rogers Park, a place that Elena recalls fondly. Things went downhill when they moved in with a foster family in Wisconsin. Elena described in detail the racial slurs and unfairness she incurred while staying with foster parents and their children.
"They took us to thrift stores to buy our clothes," she said. "They spent the government money for me and my sister on their own kids."
Years of protecting herself and younger sister gave Elena a tough exterior, though on the inside she dealt with the yearning to see her family reunited. At 18-years-old, she became pregnant and left the foster care system. Her sister was sent to another foster family and the two lost touch. Elena subsequently had more children and provided for them as a single mother. She was eventually reunited with her younger sister and maintained limited contact with her estranged older sister.
When her children were grown, Elena found work as a veterinary assistant. She moved into an apartment, but it wasn't until she lost her job that things became desperate. For the first few months after becoming jobless, Elena hid from her landlord. However, he soon stopped requesting rent and let her stay for free. For ten years, Elena survived in the apartment without heat, water, or electricity, bathing in the bathroom of a local park and using food stamps to buy food. A controling, abusive boyfriend and her independent spirit compounded her feelings of entrapment. She was afraid to reach out for help.
After a particularly brutal incident between Elena and her boyfriend, a neighbor called the police. Though she was bleeding, she told the officer that she didn't need help; however, her son, who showed up to defend her, insisted that she speak with the officer. It was the first time in years that she dared to reach out.
Thinking that she filed a restraining order against him, her boyfriend stayed away. Elena eventually went into a shelter, but left to live with her son, his wife, and their child. After eight months, Elena felt that she was too much of a burden to her son and his family and decided to try another shelter. That is when she found San Jose Obrero Mission.
Timid at first, Elena was surprised and gladdened by the welcoming environment that she found.
"Everyone here has been great. When Danielle said come right now and bring your things... This place is my guardian angel," Elena said.
Though she has only been at the Mission for one month, Elena already has a full-time job and is receiving counseling for her depression.
Posted in Success Stories