Ronisha, Survivor

“I became gang affiliated .”

Ronisha grew up in the Central District of Seattle and was a good student. She was involved in student activities, yearbook, taking Spanish classes, and playing soccer. At school, she excelled—but at home, things were different. Certain parts of her childhood were stable, but there was a tough-love relationship with her mother, and there was also domestic violence in the home. Ronisha often found herself having to take care of her younger brother and felt she wasn’t getting the love and attention she needed.

Seeking community, Ronisha became affiliated with a gang—and things began to spiral.  She began shoplifting as a coping mechanism and got involved with older guys.

At the age of 16, one of the gang members persuaded her to “try” trading sex—”wouldn’t you rather be [trading sex] for money, instead of going into stores and stealing?” he suggested.

“I got a felony, then found out I was pregnant with my first daughter.”

When Ronisha was 18, she got into an altercation over a racial incident with her boss at work, which led to her first felony conviction. Soon after she found out she was pregnant. Then shortly after, her father passed away. 

All the while, she was dealing with verbal abuse and domestic violence from her daughter’s father—and facing the reality that she now had a child to care for. 

“2015, I got incarcerated in Kitsap County. That was my reality check.”

During her incarceration, Ronisha endured racism, including an interaction with a guard that left her in “the hole.” She also encountered a Jewish woman who offered her Bible studies, which she did, and she became closer to God. Through all of that, she came to want a different path in life, and a better life for her daughter. She began seeing a psychiatrist, going to therapy, and attending yoga classes. She even wrote a letter of forgiveness to the guard—which resulted in the guard also apologizing to her. 

Though she wanted a different path, once released from prison, Ronisha had no other alternatives to provide for herself and her child.  Even with her heart and mind changed, she quickly found herself back to her old life.

“This is it.”

Ronisha had ignored outreach texts from REST in the past, but one day she responded.  

Ronisha began to pick up the pieces of her life by committing to herself and her daughter to never steal or sell her body again.  She engaged with REST services and joined Thrive, a support group for survivors. 

“Hey, I love you. I appreciate you supporting me. But you're supporting me in the wrong way.”

Ronisha realized that her mother and grandmother, while supportive, were also enabling—they would take in her daughter while she was out trading sex, and would allow her to come home with stolen merchandise. They knew she was shoplifting, but didn’t know about her trafficking situation. So Ronisha put her foot down, and invited more healthy support from them—and they responded, and put their foot down when it came to her actions. 

Three years ago last December with REST Staff member Jackie’s encouragement and support, Ronisha moved into REST’s shelter. Shortly thereafter she moved into the REST House. There were times she felt like dropping out of the house program, but her mom told her she couldn’t return home until she finished. 

“It was a lot. But I wanted it.”

Ronisha was the last REST House guest before a season of transition in the program. The program was temporarily closed, the house remodeled, and the program restructured, reopening in mid-2020. This big season of transitions—being the last guest in a community-living house program, knowing the increased urgency of finding her next living situation—all while preparing to give birth to her second daughter—was a challenge for Ronisha. 

Through that transition, there were some trials—but she overcame them. Ronisha enrolled with Sound Mental Health to address some mental health issues and began engaging with a REST Advocate. Eventually, through a collaborative effort across agencies with Ronisha fervently advocating for herself, she was enrolled in Rapid Rehousing, a program that pays your rent for a year. She moved out of the REST house into a stable living situation with her daughter and her newborn had a good job and was eager to change her life. Then COVID hit. 

She met with REST’s Employment Specialist, and he told her about a new program—
the REST Economic and Leadership Empowerment Academy.

A part of the Academy’s curriculum is a paid internship, and Ronisha’s internship was at REST’s Pathways Services Center. During her internship, she found out about an opening at REST. Ronisha applied for the position and advocated for herself.  

The day we did the interview for her story was Ronisha’s first official day on staff at REST. 

“Damn, you really did all that.”

Ronisha doesn’t just want a different life for her daughters, she is giving them one.  She is teaching her daughters to be strong young women who know their value and worth—and leading them as an example of a strong, capable, woman. 

Ronisha being hired at REST was in no way contingent upon her participation in the storytelling process. Please see our note on ethical storytelling at the beginning of the Annual Report for more information on this.