I came to Canada in early 2012 to live with my dad and his girlfriend to go to school and have a better life, I thought it would be great but it wasn’t easy. My first months here were fine and then my dad and his girlfriend started having issues and it started to become a problem for me as she started picking on me and turned my dad against me and he became violent with me then my life just went downhill. The only things that seem to be going well in my life were school and work; I tried my best to concentrate on those things and them alone. It wasn’t easy and as the months past it got harder I stopped eating and started staying at school longer, then just go to work just to avoid being at home with them. It’s like nothing I did was right, form the moment I started working my dad stopped helping me financially, all my bills and stuff I needed I paid for and he never yet asked if I was ok or if I needed anything. I started giving up on everything and I cried myself to sleep every night all I wanted to do was go back home I was so unhappy. I thought things couldn’t get any worst, I was wrong. On September 2nd 2013, I was at work and I received a call from the police saying that I had to leave the apartment because my step mother was afraid of me, I was so confused because I have never done anything for her or anyone to be afraid of me, I couldn’t stop crying. I called my dad and all he did was say he was coming to get me but when he got there he didn’t explain anything to me except bring me to get my stuff. When we got there the police officers met us at the elevator and I packed some of my stuff and my dad took his suitcase so I thought he was leaving with me and he did but he went back while I was alone and with no were to go, I couldn’t even talk to my friends from work or school because I didn’t know how to tell anyone what my dad did to me. I was so depressed I couldn’t handle school or anything else, every time I tried to talk about my situation I would bursts into tears. After a month of staying with friends I had no choice but to go to a shelter. I really didn’t want to be in a shelter but I had no choice I was in a country with no one to turn to. I spent two months in a Toronto YWCA and to be honest as scared as I was it was the best two months I had since moving to Canada. I met people who understood me and motivated me. I worked with the staff there to apply for housing assistance and they helped me with counseling and school, I felt like I had people around me that cared about me. After a month and a half at the YWCA I was approved for housing and was helped with furniture and other things. Before the New Year came in I was in my own furnished apartment and applying to get back into school. My life was getting back on track. Now I’m in my second semester of college doing great and being happy despite all I’ve been through. I give thanks for the people that I met and helped me through the hardest part of my life I ever face.