Elmira* and her 5 year old son have been at STAND shelter for 3 years.
STAND is a shelter for abused women and children in Contra Costa County. She only spoke Arabic when she came to the shelter and since then has learned to speak English.
Both mother and child have been through a lot of abuse. The shelter provided her housing and after 3 years she is now living on her own. She is now enrolled in school and works part-time at a daycare.
Carondelet High School Lacrosse team came together to make her house a home so they could have a successful future.