Essays: From the Streets: Katie - Magdalene House
![My name is Katie. I was in the streets for five years and I had tried a halfway house, but it was a 90 day program and there wasn’t any love and support in the program so that didn’t work, I left. When I got out of jail I called and got on the waiting list [for the Magdalene House]. I felt so gone on the drugs I felt like I was losing my mind and I wanted to die. I kept calling and calling and calling and the Resident’s Manager finally called me back and said “Katie we have a bed for you at the safe house if you would like to come until a bed is open at Magdalene.” I ended up coming the next Wednesday so I’ve been up in Nashville for eight months now, so I’m eight months clean.The dope had beat me up. There’s not even any words to explain how I felt. The streets will beat you up. The drugs, what I put myself through to get myself next hit – living hell.[Magdalene House] is really unexplainable, it’s the love, the support, you know, they’re not judgmental. They meet every woman where they’re at. If you need dental work, they do that, if you need therapy, counseling, they do that. I think the main thing that keeps me there is the love...there’s not another program like Magdalene.](http://www.matthewwilliamsphotography.com/content/photos/magdalene-3.jpg)
Katie - Magdalene House
My name is Katie. I was in the streets for five years and I had tried a halfway house, but it was a 90 day program and there wasn’t any love and support in the program so that didn’t work, I left. When I got out of jail I called and got on the waiting list [for the Magdalene House]. I felt so gone on the drugs I felt like I was losing my mind and I wanted to die. I kept calling and calling and calling and the Resident’s Manager finally called me back and said “Katie we have a bed for you at the safe house if you would like to come until a bed is open at Magdalene.” I ended up coming the next Wednesday so I’ve been up in Nashville for eight months now, so I’m eight months clean.
The dope had beat me up. There’s not even any words to explain how I felt. The streets will beat you up. The drugs, what I put myself through to get myself next hit – living hell.
[Magdalene House] is really unexplainable, it’s the love, the support, you know, they’re not judgmental. They meet every woman where they’re at. If you need dental work, they do that, if you need therapy, counseling, they do that. I think the main thing that keeps me there is the love...there’s not another program like Magdalene.
My name is Katie. I was in the streets for five years and I had tried a halfway house, but it was a 90 day program and there wasn’t any love and support in the program so that didn’t work, I left. When I got out of jail I called and got on the waiting list [for the Magdalene House]. I felt so gone on the drugs I felt like I was losing my mind and I wanted to die. I kept calling and calling and calling and the Resident’s Manager finally called me back and said “Katie we have a bed for you at the safe house if you would like to come until a bed is open at Magdalene.” I ended up coming the next Wednesday so I’ve been up in Nashville for eight months now, so I’m eight months clean.
The dope had beat me up. There’s not even any words to explain how I felt. The streets will beat you up. The drugs, what I put myself through to get myself next hit – living hell.
[Magdalene House] is really unexplainable, it’s the love, the support, you know, they’re not judgmental. They meet every woman where they’re at. If you need dental work, they do that, if you need therapy, counseling, they do that. I think the main thing that keeps me there is the love...there’s not another program like Magdalene.
Images ©Matthew Williams 2008. Portfolio design by Neon Sky.