Courtney’s Story: I just feel like I was meant to land here.’
On the office wall of our Kaiarataki Ringa Rehe (Practice Lead) Sia, there is an illustration of a person’s journey. Along this big walk there are trips, slips, and pitfalls. It’s an image that we use to help describe the hīkoi that the whānau we work with are on, a big walk from difficulty and struggle to a place of stability and belonging.
As with the journey of the whānau we support, there are lots of different roads that lead a person to work at DCM. For Courtney, one of our amazing Housing First Kaimahi, her path is a winding map of grief, addiction, strength and community. She has kindly shared some of her story with us here.
Courtney tells her story something like this:
Courtney lost her Dad at a young age. Like many of us, she didn’t have the tools she needed to deal with grief this heavy as a young person, and she fell into addiction.
“Quite quickly my life became chaotic…there were issues where I had pushed my family away, there were times where I was couch surfing.”
Courtney describes how, when you’re deep in grief and addiction, it can be hard to see beyond your immediate moment to the next day, let alone see a future for yourself.
“The end point for me was a small term in prison and I turned my life around from there. I don’t really know what that click was, but something clicked.”
She describes calling her Mum, someone who had stayed steady in her life through all the chaos:
“I knew where to go: ‘Mum I need help, I’m ready, help me.’ And they were there.”
Now, with an AOD qualification under her belt, she is working in our Housing First team bringing her heart and expertise to her role as a Kaimahi. The staple of Housing First is finding housing for our chronically homeless whānau and providing wrap around support.
When it comes to supporting those facing addiction, Courtney is passionate about meeting people where they are at: “if it’s not their time to do it yet, that’s okay.” What’s vital is that, just like Courtney’s Mum, we are ready to answer the call when someone is ready to make those next steps. Everyone has their own journey.
Giving advice to someone with lived experience who is keen to step into kind of mahi (work), Courtney is clear: “Do not doubt yourself. Do not doubt yourself. You’re already qualified, we need you in this sector. And it’s as simple as that.”
Courtney says that “if I could change one life or just lead someone in the right direction, it’s a win.” There is no doubt that Courtney has already achieved this and will continue to be a shining light in our community.