PICS Society is guided by its mission to provide healthy and safe environment for everyone. The program, Gender Based Violence is designed to safeguard the right of living free from domestic abuse and violence faced by individuals, disabled people, LGBTQI+, Indigenous people and people of color. Here is a letter sent to us by a client after receiving help through PICS Society regarding their situation.
“After receiving barely any responses from other organizations that I had been reaching out to, it almost felt like nobody cared about me. I began feeling hopeless about how the society works. I was pleasantly surprised when PICS contacted me and it was almost unbelievable that I finally received a response from an organization which recognized my issues. I finally saw some scope of hope when I received the email from PICS. It almost felt miraculous as it changed my life for the better. I am somewhat agnostic, but it felt like there was finally a God after all. It felt like someone was watching over me. I felt rejuvenated, but was also determined to plan an exit from my suffering.
My suffering ended just in matter of few short months after your generous help and efforts. I really wish I reached out to PICS for help much sooner than I did. Before PICS, I made a lot of desperate efforts to look for any housing service that would help me get out of my misery. I only got generic and unrelatable responses from two other places and I thought it was much better to just brush them off.
Majority of what my parents did to me was very difficult to prove. I had been going through a lot way before I even reached my teenage years. As a result, I secluded myself and lost all of my friends. There was absolutely nobody with who I felt safe enough to share my issues.
I wanted my situation to get better and in order to make that possible, I started stuffing backpacks or garbage bags with my belongings to move to my storage unit. However, I had to be careful to make sure my parents were not home. I used to disconnect the internet to avoid being captured by the security cameras that my parents installed to keep an eye on me. I would move my stuff even during the snow storm, neither sweat nor wet socks were able to break my spirit. I managed to find hidden routes to carry my belongings so that there was no way my parents could see me while they were coming back home. In the end, I was able to move all of my things without getting caught and needless to say, it was all worth it.
It felt unbelievable but it was all so real. If I did not have my storage unit, I would not have been able to move out successfully. I was lucky enough for my parents to not be home on the day I finally moved out.
Reaching out to PICS feels like the best thing I have ever done because the community felt like a family I never had. Even though I was embarrassed, the people at PICS cared for me more than anybody else ever did. I am truly helpful for all the help I received from the people at PICS. Without your help, I would not have the expertise, knowledge or the required references to be able to get out of my situation.
I am pleased to inform you that I have finally found a job as a Production Worker. I believe that now I will now be able to create a better future for myself both personally, as well as financially.
There is still a long way to go, but now I am full of hope, faith and confidence to help me through my path.
I cannot thank the PICS Society enough for all their genuine care and efforts.”
