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I’m Marla. I’m an author, artist, and Mom of three. I’ve been in Columbus all my life. I ended up in the homeless system around 2014, and I didn’t get placed here until July 2016. I got bounced around from shelter to shelter, and I don’t want to say it’s still traumatic, but it’s hard to talk about or think about it. But I’m glad there is such a thing as the Women’s Residency program. I was just blown away by my unit. Some people discount community or have a fear around expanding their community, but you have to overcome that. There’s nothing else like this in the city. It’s empowering for the women here. I felt like I could pause and get my breath. There’s an empathy there – everyone’s operating with their own strengths and weaknesses. I lost my dad in 2019 and my mom at the end of 2020, so I always try to say they would want me to be happy. One of my mottos is to wring the joy out of life. The grief and depression will always be there in varying degrees, but I like making memories with people… I really just want to spend the time. I want people to remember my sense of humor and how I made them feel. I wish people could support each other. The grief counseling here helped me a whole lot. That’s one way I cope – and then my art. I started writing and making art when my mom died. Because of certain situations, I don’t have access to my grandkids, but I’m just carrying on, and I figure my books and my art will be my legacy to them.

Marla has lived at YWCA Columbus’ downtown residency since 2016. Her art was recently featured at the Fresh A.I.R. Gallery, and she is also a published author.

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