Maria House Provides Stable Home

Date: 03/18/2004

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Maria House Provides Stable Home
by Mary-Nevans Pederson



Dubuque -- Joyce Venezia has hit big bumps in the road of life, but the Dubuque woman is trying to stay positive, healthy and sober. She will be forever grateful that Maria House existed when she desperately needed help. Venezia, 47, lived much of her life in Wisconsin, but found herself in Dubuque nine years ago, following a relationship with a man. She was an alcoholic for a dozen years. But in 2000, she entered a treatment program, sobered up and left clean. Though she had temporary housing in a halfway house, she was basically homeless. She applied and was accepted into the transitional housing program offered at Maria House. The shelter had been open only four months when Venezia moved into one of its six rooms for single women. "There was a stable atmosphere with things we had to attend - programs, meetings, meals. I hadn't had a lot of rules and regulations in my life," said Venezia, who was once married and has a daughter who lives in another state. "It's not like other shelters. It's a beautiful place with a homey atmosphere." Maria House is for near-homeless or homeless women and their children who are seeking a longer-term support program and are willing to work toward specific goals, explained Michelle Brown, executive director. "We know that change doesn't happen overnight," Brown said. "We want them to learn the skills they need to break the cycle of homelessness." Programs for the residents include parenting, budgeting, accessing further education and treatment for substance abuse or mental illness. "The word 'budget" had never been in my vocabulary before Maria House," said Venezia, who now lives in a city-subsidized apartment that she describes as "small but nice." Maria House opened in 2000 with the help of six communities of Catholic religious women in the former St. Mary's convent on Jackson Street. The shelter is supported by grants, donations, memorials, fund-raisers and the United Way. About 180 women and children have found shelter there since it opened. Venezia's story so epitomizes the Maria House program that she often speaks publicly about her experience there. She stayed for nearly 18 months and returned to her former job as a rehabilitative aide for seniors. She made friends of the other women and the staff, and gained confidence in herself. "It turned my life around. Now I'm part of a community. I had never done that before," she said. But her happy days were short-lived. A year ago she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She has had surgery and chemotherapy, but had to quit her job. Just as things were improving again, doctors found a cyst on her ovary. "I have no income. I'm applying for disability. I get pretty angry some days," Venezia said. But she knows she can count on Maria House. "I can call them any time and let off steam. They invite me down to dinner and let me do my laundry there," she said. Copyright: Copyright 2004 Telegraph Herald