Suite Success Stories

Suited for Change: A Building Block in Pat Morris's Journey Back to Herself

Until Thanksgiving 2007, Pat Morris's life was steady. A legal secretary with more than 20 years' experience, she was employed as a collections specialist for a Fortune 500 company. The job came with stress, but it also came with a good salary.

Then, her life started to unravel. Both her parents became seriously ill, and she became their primary caregiver. Her marriage broke up. Her only daughter, who was having problems with her son, lost her job. Not long after that, Morris lost her job. It was just a lot of stress, she says.

Morris tried to work temporary jobs in order to keep up with her rent, but she slipped into a dark hole. She would spend days collapsed on her couch, not moving and not eating. I was deeply, deeply depressed, she says. And I had no avenue to talk about it. I had all this on me and I just collapsed.

Morris's next step was to put all her belongs in storage and move to the Alexandria Community Shelter. I felt like a loser, she says. I'm in my 50's, after having worked all my life and after having raised a daughter.  I was scared to death. I was thinking that I was going to be murdered by a drug addict. If you had told me that I would be in a shelter as little as three years ago, I would have looked at you and asked, Are you crazy? I'm Patricia. I'm a diva. I'm a professional. I've never been on welfare. What are you talking about?

As it turned out, Morris was surprised at how comfortable the shelter was. She now says it turned out to be an important way station for her. She felt safe there and was able to take advantage of the programs the shelter offered. One of those programs hooked her up with Suited for Change.

Morris first walked into Suited's doors when she attended a Personal and Professional Development seminar. I looked at [the program for the workshop], and I said, oh, okay, I'm going to do this. The one little kicker was the free suit.

The subject of that first workshop has melded together in Morris's mind with the many other seminars she has attended at Suited. She recalls walking out thinking, This is something I can use, something I can keep.

The first time Morris received professional clothing from Suited, she also got more than she expected. I expected the suit, but it was shoes, it was accessories. I got earrings, a ring, pantyhose, shoes, a scarf. She also got an almost-new, black Prada handbag that she still carries.

Soon after being fitted with her new outfit, Morris went on an interview for a temporary assignment at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. I looked great  And I was feeling good about myself.  Maybe the suit got me the job. I don't know, but I felt good. I felt pretty. I felt professional, she says. After a few months on temporary assignment, she became a permanent employee of the USDA.

Morris has moved out of the Alexandria Community Shelter and now lives in transitional housing. In addition to her job at the USDA, she has a part-time job at the desk of an apartment house in Dupont Circle. She is banking as much money as she can to pay off her debts. She also looks forward to the time when she will move into her own place, and eventually to buying her own home with the help of a special program of the Virginia Department of Housing.

She says that Suited for Change plays a crucial role in the Washington, D. C. area because at Suited for Change, you get treated with dignity. She also says that while the suits are cool, Suited's PPD program helped her get back her life's momentum. If you haven't done things for a long time, if you haven't paid attention to your health, for example, they have workshops that  just give you that zip. She says Suited provides a venue where women can sit, keep their dignity and learn. She adds: Suited for Change just can't get rid of me. It was one of those building blocks that helped me get back to Pat.

Morris can now also see a benefit from her journey from homelessness to a new life. I don't mind telling you, I was kind of arrogant. And this has humbled me, she says. I had a certain stereotype about homeless people. Now, unless you're actually reeking of alcohol, when I pass a homeless person, somebody on the street with a cup, I put money in.

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