From Fear to Freedom: Paula’s Path to Independence

34 years out of employment, and too afraid to leave home from the trauma of domestic abuse. These are significant barriers that customer Paula had to overcome, and we’re incredibly proud of the resilience and bravery she has shown.

After many years in a domestically violent marriage, Paula was afraid of men and afraid to leave her house. She spent 34 years raising her children, so did not have a work history nor driver’s license. When her husband passed away, she was determined to change her life.

Paula came into MAX to seek assistance, and Job Coach Rose understood that showing empathy and patience was key to helping Paula. Rose explains, “I took her lead. I didn’t push her. When I first met her, I don’t think she was ready for work. But it only took a few appointments before she was the one who asked to have some resumes made. That’s when I realised that she really wants to try to get a job and change her life.”

Paula overcame her agoraphobia in small steps: first by going to the shops with her son and taking walks by herself around the shops. Her fear of men was something she overcame too; one day, she entered the MAX office, and another male customer was present. Previously, she would have fled, but this time, Paula knew that MAX was a safe place and was able to attend her appointment with Rose even with a man in the same room. 

Whilst Paula did not have any recent formal work history, Rose recognised that she had plenty of valuable domestic skills from years of raising her children and nursing her husband towards the end of his life. Rose began searching for work that would be suitable for Paula and found a cleaning position with aged care clients. Paula was thrilled at the prospect of working with the elderly.

The only problem? The job was on Lamb Island, and Paula had previously been too afraid to leave Russell Island, where she lived. Paula’s son intended to take her to the job interview but was unable to at the last minute due to work commitments. This did not stop Paula, though. She gathered her courage and boarded the ferry by herself for the first time in her life. Rose met her on the other side and accompanied her to the job interview.

Rose knew that Paula needed an employer who would provide a safe and inclusive environment for Paula to work in. “I had to find the right employer for Paula, and the local manager at QuCare [employer] seemed to have the intuition that Paula needed this chance. They even offered for Paula to complete her First Aid training online so that it would be more comfortable for her.”

QuCare offered Paula the cleaning position, and she proudly says, “I’m proving my husband wrong. He said I would never be able to do anything!” In fact, her bravery has inspired a close friend of hers who experienced similar circumstances – her friend asked Paula to recommend her for work at QuCare! QuCare have been so impressed with Paula that they have mentioned looking for some other clients as well for her so that she is able to reach her 15 hour per week benchmark!

Paula enjoys work, and it gives her confidence to think about doing other things for herself. We share Paula’s excitement about her bright future and are so proud of her courage and determination to change her life!