Alice’s Story: A New Life

Alice was courted while still living in Mexico.  Her boyfriend, who lived in the U.S., would write her love letters, send her flowers and visit her every opportunity he had.  After several years, with her VISA approved, they married and she moved to the U.S. to be with him.

Alice was promised a home, a good life filled with love, joy, and romance. That life quickly turned into a nightmare. Shortly after arriving in the U.S., she was living in her in-laws basement, isolated from the rest of the family, and had no access to money for necessitites; her husband was controlling everything. Her husband insulted her, accused her of cheating on him, and did not allow her out of the house. Eventually she was able to start babysitting for a neighbor but soon after she was required to pay rent, purchase her own food and other necessities, and her husband took the rest of her money to travel to Mexico. Alice turned to her priest for guidance. He advised her to leave him because he did not value her as a wife or woman. She tried fighting for her marriage but eventually was thrown out with no money and nowhere to go. 

Alice turned to Family Rescue for counseling. Family Rescue also advocated for her and connected her with legal services for her divorce. She attended Family Rescue’s financial literacy classes and her advocate helped her to improve her interview skills and eventually obtain a full-time job. Family Rescue also assisted Alice in connecting with immigration services to renew her VISA. With the assistance of Family Rescue, Alice gained the confidence she needed to believe in herself again and was able to get her own apartment.