Jennifer

Welfare

Jennifer had just given birth to her fourth child when she heard her ex was struggling to make ends meet. Jennifer contacted The Salvation Army to request a food parcel for him.

A Salvation Army officer visited Jennifer to explain that her former partner would need to come in himself. As they talked, Jennifer’s story came out.

Although her former partner had been out of the family’s life for a while, he and Jennifer were thinking about getting back together. But because the family had suffered through his alcohol and gambling issues for years, Jennifer was still worried about the future.

He would spend money meant for the family to buy alcohol and to gamble, refusing to admit he had a problem, she says. ‘They tell you they have it under control, but they just lie all the time. He could be abusive when he didn’t get his own way. I would be scared and worried, but I didn’t know how to get myself out of this situation.

‘I knew that the situation was not right or normal, but I didn’t have the support and help I needed to get through.

The Salvation Army offered to support Jennifer as she explored reconciliation with her ex. ‘But he didn’t admit he had a problem and didn’t want to make any changes,’ Jennifer recalls. ‘It came to a point where I had to make a decision for myself and my children.’

When she decided to move on, The Salvation Army gave practical help, continuing to mediate between Jennifer and her former partner. Salvation Army officers even opened up their home so she could stay with them and get a break from daily pressures.

‘I lived in an unhealthy relationship for five years, but now I have support and good friends and a chance to move on in my life,’ says Jennifer. ‘The Salvation Army gave me a new outlook on life and showed me that it is about community and supporting other people at the times when they are low.’

To give something back to her community Jennifer now volunteers on a Salvation Army ‘ambulance’ that patrols Invercargill on Friday nights. The converted ambulance, stocked with food and hot drinks, reaches out to young people, the lonely and the homeless on the streets.

‘You get to have a good chat with them to see where they are at. It makes me realise that you can do something to help others,’ Jennifer explains.

Because The Salvation Army helped her in so many ways, Jennifer has a more compassionate outlook towards others. ‘That made me feel so grateful and appreciative that there are still people who genuinely care about others and what happens to them in the long-term.

‘I love the Sallies—they are like my family. I know that they are always there to help.’