Abusive relationship leads Rene Thatcher into struggle with poverty
By CARISSA MIKKELSEN
DCN Reporter
Rene Thatcher, 50, is bubbling with personality and kindness, though one may wonder how she remains upbeat amidst her current struggle with poverty.
“I have to, I have to remain positive. There are so many other people who have it worse than me, I need to motivate them,� said Rene.
Rene grew up middle class until an abusive relationship left her homeless and desperately seeking help at a women’s shelter. With their help, Rene was able to find low income housing and odd jobs. After five years of supporting herself, misfortune struck again.
“I started to get really sick, some days I couldn’t even get myself out of my bed,� said Rene.
Rene was diagnosed with a degenerative disease which has left her without 50 percent of her hand strength and many pancreatic problems requiring surgery. Unable to work, Rene does receive disability checks which total $200 per month making it hard to survive.
With medical bills piling up, Rene came back to her apartment one day to find an eviction notice on her couch.
“It all went so fast, I didn’t know what was happening. I couldn’t find anyone to help, it was so wrong. I lost everything I owned,� said Rene.
Since the eviction, Rene does not qualify for low-income housing for the next three years and has been at Churches United in Ministry’s (CHUM) drop-in shelter for the past two weeks.
“This is a learning experience, everyone has a different story. You can’t just assume that you know what someone else is going through,� said Rene. “I’m hopeful my luck will change, until then I just have to hold my head up and smile. It’s all I can do .�