Larissa's Story.

Trigger warning: this brave story discusses domestic violence and homelessness. Please read with care.

“Food is life. ”

I always used to watch my mum and my aunty cook, helping out in the kitchen at parties and things. It’s definitely my love language - I love cooking for those around me.

If someone is going through something, I’m like, ‘I don't know what to do, but here, taste this - it will make you feel better’.”

I'm really proud of my shelter meal recipe – ‘Lissy’s Pockets of Love’. Shredded chicken, Philly cream cheese, condensed mushroom soup, all wrapped up in puff pastry. It’s a recipe that’s been in my life since I was a really young - I fell in love with it when I was a kid, because I was such a picky eater but it felt like such a comfort meal. I've never seen so many pockets before!

WORK WORK.

Two Good is such a safe community. It builds you as a person. When I first started, I was very timid and very frigid. Even the chefs remember me being very scared, not really talkative. But over the past six months, I've come out of my shell; I'm much more comfortable. Yesterday, for our Community Partnership Day, I spoke in front of a room full of people - I don't like public speaking, but I did it anyways.

I think of it as a door opening, to find out how to be the real you…that’s what I found in myself.

“I’ve learned to love myself. Because I never really did…I was never shown.”

CHANGING
THE COURSE.

I grew up in a pretty intense domestic violence household, so it was more of a ‘fend for yourself’ type of environment.

I didn't really move out until I was 19 – but even after that, my mum was very manipulative. When I finally moved out last year – or rather, when she kicked me out - she made it very difficult, claiming I owed her hundreds of dollars, stealing half of my belongings, leaving me with very little.

I tried to tell her she was doing the wrong thing - that this isn't right, you don’t do this to your kid - but she just refused to listen, or stop. I even tried getting my belongings back by sending her a letter of demand, but her husband retaliated and threatened court, somehow claiming I owed him thousands. It was a lot. I had very unpleasant words to say, but I decided to stop contact due to legal reasons, after advice from my case worker.

When it was all happening, I just felt like I wasn't independent. I was still attached to the idea of my mum, being a mum, you know? But I felt like I wasn’t worth being her child. I was still trying to see her and be part of her life, but she would always choose her husband over me. Whenever I did get to see her, she would badmouth me to him. I eventually found out she had cut me off from the rest of the family, too, apart from the aunty that looked out for me – she’s my main source of family right now, along with my cousin and her kids.

The day I got kicked out was the same day I signed the lease for my transitional housing, through the ‘Uniting Doorways for Youth’ program, who help young people experiencing a housing crisis. Had I not signed that lease, I'd be homeless. I mean, theoretically, I was still classified as homeless…but I was lucky to have a roof over my head.

I was referred to Two Good Co by my caseworker, when she found out I loved to cook. The intake for the Work Work program had already started, so I did the Cook and Connect program on Saturdays. I went basically every week - it was like I’d found a place of comfort.

It really eased me into Work Work, when the next intake rolled around. And then meeting my group was so great - we all just clicked. I had decided that me and my gender just…do not get along. So I found it very surprising to find a group of women that I actually connect with. I was amazed; it had never happened before.

I even got to experience having a ‘work mum’. To have a mother figure within the group was…I don’t even have the words. Talking to her and having her listen, sharing stories…it just made me realise she was a proper mum, to me.

The program has changed the course of my life, for sure. When I started, I was living in transitional housing - and now, I have my own place! I saved up for that myself - every time I got paid, half of it instantly goes into my savings, and I was able to save about $3,500. It feels so much better, now that I've got my own space. I don't have to walk on eggshells or feel like I’m in the way. I feel so much more independent too, having my own income. It's so satisfying to actually earn my money, rather than relying on Centrelink.

Work Work is such an important program to have, for those who are struggling to find themselves, or to get back into working. It would be a great opportunity for those to take and build on themselves, to create a better path for their future.

TWOMORROW.

I found the coaching experience to be really helpful, too - we're both very similar, which made it easier for us to create not only a professional bond, but also a friendship. I gained a lot of confidence in building a resume, and going out into the workforce to find a job that's right for me. And I learned a lot from her - like, it’s ok if I don’t get accepted from the jobs I want, because there'll be better ones down the track.

I'm currently looking for work, now that the program is coming to an end. I’d love to do something I’m passionate about; I'm artistic and I love reading, so I've applied to art stores and bookstores, even candle stores. Before Two Good, I wasn't overly prepared for anything…but after doing these six months here, I’ve learned that I can figure everything out now. I can do it.

It’s like…I'm ready to let the whole world know who I am. I’ve blossomed. I had a counselor once who told me, ‘You've got a lot of strength’. He said, ‘I see you as a warrior, not a survivor’. I’m starting to see that, too.

If I could have told one thing to myself six months ago, when I was first starting the program, I would say…

“She doesn't have control over you anymore. You are your own person.”