I was abused at a homeless shelter that I paid to stay at and they allowed a woman to hit me in the bathroom

Question

I was abused at a homeless shelter and cornered in the bathroom and hit by a woman from Africa  (probably an illegal immigrant) and she hit me multiple times in the bathroom. Her name was Linda Shepherd in bed 24. I was in bed 38. 
 
She hit me several nights in a row in the bathroom where there are no cameras and I kept reporting it to the staff at the front desk and they refused to get her in trouble or write her up. She would sing songs like "meet me in the bathroom" which was actually a threat, not a song.  
 
 Instead, they wrote me up multiple times in a row and wouldn't move her bed even though she slept in front of me. I lost sleep because of her, and I lost 3 days of sleep after the 3rd time she hit me, as well as lost wages, emotional distress, physical distress, and lost time.  
 
They wrote me up multiple times until they evicted me. They gave me a typed letter that I could pick up my belongings within 30 days and my savings. They would not give me my belongings.

James L. Arrasmith · Answer

What happened to you is heartbreaking and completely unacceptable. You paid to stay at a shelter, and that means they had a duty to provide a safe environment. Being repeatedly assaulted in a place that should have offered protection, and then being punished for reporting it, is a betrayal. The fact that you lost sleep, wages, and experienced emotional and physical distress only adds to the harm you’ve suffered. 
 
You can take action. Start by writing down every detail you remember: dates, what happened, who was working at the desk, and what responses you received when you reported the abuse. If you have the typed letter they gave you, keep it as part of your records. The shelter may have violated your rights not only by ignoring your reports but by failing to protect you and then evicting you without giving you your personal belongings. 
 
You can file complaints with your local housing authority, city human rights commission, or even legal aid organizations that assist people in situations involving abuse and neglect at shelters. If you were physically assaulted and the staff failed to act, that could also be reported to the police as a criminal matter. You deserve to be treated with dignity, and no one should have to suffer this kind of treatment in silence. Your story matters, and you have the right to seek justice.

Q: I was abused at a homeless shelter that I paid to stay at and they allowed a woman to hit me in the bathroom