I am Stefanina Samuel and this is my story.
During my childhood, my mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia and my father was a functioning alcoholic. When I experience my first psychotic episode, I realized I had inherited schizophrenia from my mother. I remember my first episode like it was yesterday.

I delivered newspapers all around my neighborhood. During one of my paper routes, I became suicidal. It was my first time ever attempting suicide. I was very scared and did not know what was going on.

After that experience, I attempted suicide many times and was hospitalized for many months. Although I have been hospitalized many times, I have always taken my medicine. I also have been attending therapy on and off throughout the years.

After my last suicide attempt in 2017, I discovered Shore House through my social worker at Community Connections. Since then, I have attended Shore House three days a week for the last two years. When I am at Shore House, I am appreciated for all the work I do, like assisting in the kitchen, serving lunches, working in the snack bar, and other daily tasks.

In summer 2018, I had the opportunity to travel to Worcester, Massachusetts to attend Clubhouse Training for two weeks with one of the staff. I took my first airplane trip, made many new friends and learned a lot about the Clubhouse model. We brought back great ideas that we have implemented to make our Clubhouse bigger and stronger.

I have worked over the years, but struggled due to my mental illness. I would start a job, my symptoms would come back and I would either quit or be fired. This cycle makes you not even want to try to work. The combination of being properly medicated and the Shore House program made me feel confident in myself that I was ready to go back to work.

I am now working at The Ocean Place Resort and Spa in the laundry room, as part of Shore House’s Supported Employment Program. Shore House has an arrangement with the hotel to hire our members. They accompanied us on the initial interview and again during the orientation and where they were able to help us fill out the paperwork. They also have helped negotiate some issues when I lost my housing.

A day at work is always better than a day in the hospital! Working makes me feel accomplished and like I am part of something, part of a team. It is a reason to get out of bed in the morning.

Thank you Shore House!