From homeless to college grad in less than a decade

Drug addiction, domestic abuse and homelessness used to color the life of Seattle University alumna Mary Guiberson.

From 1995 to 1998, Guiberson was homeless. She was in and out of jail, in treatment programs and drug houses.

Guiberson, who stopped using drugs in September 1998, said four days after she last used drugs she was taken in an ambulance to Harborview Medical Center. She said with the clothes on her back and a lot of faith, she was introduced to the Compass Center—a facility that provides transitional and emergency services to homeless people—where she spent 18 months in its Cascade Women's Program.

"That is where my world really began to change, and I started taking on a new way of being," Guiberson said. "Instead of addressing the addiction, they addressed me."

At the Compass Center she had the help of many people, including a mental health counselor, a chemical dependency counselor, a domestic violence advocate and a case manager.

"As I began healing, I began wanting more out of life," said Guiberson, now the program coordinator at the Compass Center's Adult Service Center. "That's why I began my journey back to school at the age of 38."

Guiberson attended Seattle University from 2004 to 2007 and graduated with a master's degree in organizational system renewal and design.

"She is a very compassionate learner," said Bill Koenig, director of her graduate program and Guiberson's academic adviser at Seattle U. "She is very conscious and intentional about the importance of learning."

Since graduating from Seattle U three years ago, Guiberson has worked for The Compass Housing Alliance. She worked as both a chemical dependency counselor for the Cascade Women's Program, and later, as a case manager at the Adult Service Center.

Guiberson volunteers for other programs such as Triple Play Connections, a networking groupfor chemical dependency counselors; Thrivers Action Group, a domestic violence social awareness group; and the Freedom Project, which teaches women about nonviolent communication.

"Mary has a great way of relating to clients," said Carol Tharp, an employee at the Compass Center. "The Adult Service Center can be a challenging place to work because it's a spot where you're interacting with people who have come from a variety of different backgrounds."

People who visit the Compass Center deal with a variety of struggles, including addictions, drugs, alcohol and mental health challenges, Tharp said.

"Mary is really good at being able to relate to folks. That's a skill not everyone has," Tharp said.

The Compass Housing Alliance serves homeless men, women and families. There are 27 programs available to homeless people including transitional housing, permanent housing and emergency shelters.

The Community Service office in Pioneer Square serves as a bank where people can open a bank account with $5. The office also serves as a post office, where people with no address of their own can send and receive mail.

At the Adult Service Center, anyone in the community can do their laundry, take a shower, use the phone and work with staff for other resources in Seattle. About 260 people a day use the Service Center.

Guiberson's job is both difficult and hectic.

"I struggle with watching staff burn out from the multiple tasks," Guiberson said. "Yet I watch my staff show up day after day with a smile on their face and a kind word for those we serve."

In the future, Guiberson hopes to build a program that supports women in jail for nonviolent crimes. She wants these women to have a chance to change their lives and heal from trauma and abuse.

"I have a passion for supporting others to have a better life," she said.

Guiberson lives in Seattle, is single and has a 22-year-old son, Kyle. Sheis close to her niece who has three children. According to Guiberson, the children in her life "make the world a brighter place."

With first-hand experience with homelessness and domestic abuse, Guiberson said although it may be a long way to go with improving homelessness citywide, there are existing programs that help people off the streets.

"What I like best about my job is knowing that at the end of the day that I played a role in someone's life that was a positive," Guiberson said.

Kate may be reached at ganironk@seattleu.edu