Rising from the ashes
story by Al Drago
It’s 9 p.m., and Shelly Shrum awakes from her nap. It’s time for work. Her husband and daughter are already asleep, and so Shelly’s night starts off quietly.
But Shelly’s life has been far from quiet.
She and her family live in a house on Cedar Street, nestled against the Daniel Pitino Shelter, a transitional housing center that assists struggling and homeless women and families in Owensboro.
Her house. Her life.
Shelly has come a long way, but she had to start at rock bottom.
She became addicted to prescription pain medicine in 2008 as she tried to deal with stress. Through a combination of bad luck and scuffles with the police, Shelly and Stephen, her husband of 16 years, both went to jail. The two were falsely accused of arson but were held in contempt of court.
Once free, the couple found themselves on the street.
“We went from having everything to having nothing,” she says.
The two lived in different homeless shelters for months and saw each other during the day when they were not working. Shelly gave birth to their daughter, Phoenix, and ever since the three have been trying to stay positive as they remain a strong family unit. Phoenix is now 2 years old.
“When it comes down to it, all we have is each other,” Shelly says.
Shelly found the Pitino Shelter, and for the first time in almost two years they were all together as a family.
Shelly, 31, now works the night shift at the shelter, and Stephen, 39, is a supervisor at a local brickyard. Now Shelly is in a position where she can help those who are in the same trouble she was in just months before.
They can live in the shelter-owned house for only another year before it is another family’s turn, and the Shrums hope to buy a house of their own.
“I have no idea what I’m doing tomorrow,” Shelly says. “I have no idea what the future holds. I’m just staying positive and know I’m never going back.”
FAR RIGHT: Phoenix laughs with her baby doll as she is hugged and kissed by her parents, Shelly and Stephen, before he heads to work early Friday morning.
Stephen Shrum leaves homes with Phoenix just before 5 a.m. to walk her across the parking lot to leave her with Shelly at the shelter so he can go to work. Since Stephen and Shelly work opposite shifts, many times they see each other for only a half hour a day.
Shelly Shrum grieves as she discusses the eviction of another resident earlier in the evening due to narcotic use. Although Shelly was the same place just a few years earlier, she has risen to leadership at the Daniel Pintino Shelter and can help others who are in a similar situation.
Shelly Shrum daily smokes more than a pack of cigarettes to deal with the stress of overcoming her opiates addiction.
Shelly Shrum fills out an incident report on a woman who was evicted from the shelter due to narcotics use.
Stephen Shrum makes a face as he is slapped by his daughter, Phoenix, just after waking up Thursday morning to go to work. When he goes to work, Phoenix spends the remaining two hours of her mother's shift at the Daniel Pitino Shelter with her.
Shelly Shrum pushes her daugher, Phoenix,, towards the end of her night work shift at the Daniel Pitino shelter.
RIGHT: Shelly carries Phoenix home after having breakfast at McDonald's after working the Friday night shift.
Shelly Shrum takes a nap after her daughter, Phoenix, fell asleep watching "Barney & Friends" in their living room.
Stephen Shrum shares a moment with his daughter, Phoenix, after she calms down from being upset.
Shelly Shrum plays with her daughter, Phoenix, in their front yard.