From Survivor to Scholar: The Power of Home

Stepping into certain spaces can be akin to entering another realm. It’s not just Jenny’s warm embrace, or the chorus of chortles and snorts from her two small dogs whose job is to welcome friends and family into her wonderland of a craftsman home. There is something truly magical about both Jenny and her home.

Her personality is warm and animated though also grounded. There is a solidity about her. She’s the friend you’d call in a crisis. She feels like someone you could talk to about anything, a confidante.

Her sanctuary is a place where guests can kick off their shoes and melt into comfortable, richly upholstered antique velvet furniture that enfolds the body like a hug. Here, it’s as though time passes more slowly. Nothing feels hurried or rushed.

Jenny (not her real name) is resilient and spirited, generous, and kind. She adores plants, candles, books, textiles, laughter... and beautiful objects.

Within her sanctum, inviting nooks and alcoves painted in hushed earthtones and crowned by colorful stained glass, hold in their care precious antiques, charming bird pillows, and an array of artwork that reflects her love for nature and creatures of all kinds. To be in this rich, eclectic space is like stepping through the looking glass into another era, another space, time, and place. The busy road outside feels like a muted, distant dream.

Jenny’s life and circumstances were not always so idyllic. After a tumultuous first marriage, she found herself with small children, an angry and abusive ex-husband, and nowhere to go.

“I didn’t know where to turn when I left my marriage. I thought I had no agency. I had no degree,” she said. “I ended up in the best job I could find at the time working on the janitorial staff at the hospital and flinging a mop.” 

She longed to find work that would challenge her mind and nourish her soul.

“That’s when I decided to get a degree and turn things around,” said Jenny.

After entering the pre-law program at Western Washington University, she worked as a legal assistant for a law firm where she met a clerk who shared her experience as a Kulshan Community Land Trust homeowner. Within just a few weeks, Jenny had enrolled in homeownership classes and completed the application and much of the paperwork.

In time, the perfect house arrived, one just big enough to welcome her young family, and later, her second husband.

“I made this happen. No one else was on my deed,” she said.

Inspired by three veterans in her family (her father, second husband, and son), she followed an urge to transition from law into vocational rehabilitation for veterans, and for decades she worked to help members of the military receive an education and find jobs following their service.

Determined to earn a degree herself, she was one of eight students selected into a doctoral program at the University of Washington. Jenny completed her Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Science at the age of 60. Although she is now retired, the veterans and colleagues whose service and lives she knew so intimately have left a permanent impression on her heart.  

“This is my work. It wasn’t a choice, but a calling,” said Jenny.

Like many of the veterans she served, Jenny experienced her own form of battle, enduring years of spousal abuse. In a life filled with victories, one of her greatest involved finding the strength and determination to leave her marriage and to create a fresh, new life for herself and her family. She wishes to remain anonymous to safeguard her privacy, something she shares in common with several other KulshanCLT homeowners who have escaped abusive relationships and found security through homeownership.

Jenny is at a point in her life where she can pause to reflect on her journey. Her children are now grown, and she has owned her home for decades. Each room reflects the nuances of her multifaceted personality, her travels and experiences, and her eye for the beauty of nature.

While sipping tea in her newly renovated kitchen, she is gazing through a grand picture window as wild birds chatter in the dogwood tree just outside. She enjoys sharing stories about her four children and their impressive careers, ever the proud parent and grandmother whose hard work and dedication ensured a solid and secure life for her children.

“My kids have had these beautiful lives. So many things came to me because I had stable housing,” said Jenny. “As a result of KulshanCLT, they were able to grow up well, to go to college, and to lead successful lives.”

Now, her days are filled with family, friends, books (The Lovesongs of W.E.B. Du Bois, a current favorite), gardening, travel, local activism, and more.

“I don’t want to be anywhere else,” she said before heading out to tend to her fishpond and spend some time enjoying her garden.