Complaint Review: Ed and Mary Ann Cowger of Roloff homes and Church - Corpus Christi Texas

Alright, so here it all goes.... A report was made of these people and I feel it didn't do justice. I LITERALLY have PTSD because of this "home". I see a vehicle that looks like theirs, it throws me into an attack of seeing a certain situation. You know, one of those "And all of the sudden I was right back there. I couldn't see anything of where I actually was, like I never left the stupid place!" Or something that reminds me (which when you are there for so long it's not hard to come across something like that), will throw me into an attack as well. I ALSO wake up EVERY morning thinking about them, what they've done to me personally. But see, this is just part of the aftermath---Let's get into what happened while we were there shall we!

First of all, I was in the Jubilee Home for Ladies. They call it a home because it' supposed to make you feel like you are at home, or better. Like everyone there cares for you as much as you family did. I can tell you right now, that statement makes my blood pressure rise within seconds. We got to go to Wal Mart once a month (if we didn't get it taken away, which we have), all the while we couldn't hold our own money (that our families had to send us because we weren't allowed out in society), we were watched like a hawk because they were so afraid we'd steal something (but they don't look at our past---they look at our progress.....RIIIIGGGGHHHHHTTTTT), Then they would come to the register (Y'all got to know by now that we were timed, Only had so much time to be there....) and take out our money and pay. JUST so we wouldn't add anything to our baskets. We weren't allowed to have caffeine, sugar, pork, or even uncaffeinated DIET sodas. Why???? She couldn't give us a definite answer but that it "feeds addiction". Yeah, I bet you my bacon feeds addiction! Stupid....

I made several friends there. Two best friends. We were constantly getting in trouble for things we did. If you got a red shirt (which I did so often for stupid little things, my nickname quickly became "red shirt" and I stuck to it the whole 11 months!) you had to get on the floor and scrub 1 tile for 30 minutes, do an extra 45 minute chore, you couldn't eat with the other ladies, you couldn't talk to the other ladies, and you couldn't leave your room unless it was time to do one of those things or you had to go work for them. Typically red shirt would last for 3 weeks. That's just cruel. I had a half way point (3 days were allowed) with my family and they asked me about my most recent red shirt. I told them what it was and my dad laughed because he thought it was so ridiculous. Now I thought I actually did REAL bad and was super ashamed the way she was screaming at us. It went on and on and on! So I genuinly felt bad.... My dad laughed at the stupidity of the case. That's when i realized it wasn't that bad AT ALL! Well moving along....

Near my 6 or 7 month mark My best friend and I decided that we would sneak out. We just couldn't take it anymore. The place had gotten so bad. All we were to them was forms of employement because they didn't have enough themselves and we would be free so let's use us. We NEVER saw our superintendant and if we did she wouldn't speak a word to us. None of us got our counseling but if we begged for 3 weeks. But "the door was always open" she'd say to us. I felt nothing more than a burden to them and actually cried myself to sleep for so many nights I literally became depressed. She could care less. She was so selfish all she cared about was herself.

Then she would make us feel bad for "needing so much" though we NEVER asked for anything. She would get so hateful if she felt like we didnt love her like she wanted us to. Like if she didn't see it she would throw fits until she got all the attention she craved. WELL so my best friend and I snuck out, just to be ourselves. After about 2 months of that we got caught. Yeah, it was a big no no but guess what, I wouldn't trade it for anything. We could talk and not be watched. Sing and not get in trouble. (There were cameras that could pick up voice EVERYWHERE) So we got in big trouble. Restarted (9 more months), Red shirt for 1 month and treated like we just killed someone. I thought she was hateful before.

I was so very wrong. It got so much worse. Well Mind you that after being restarted, my friend had already been there for over a year and me for 8 months. I was 1 month away from finishing! This NEVER happened. After being treated like all the above and more for another 2 months, I lashed out. I told her she is a hateful hypocrite who REALLY doesn't carde about me. Well of course she hated the sound of that so she said get out! You are not allowed here anymore! So I tried to call my dad and tell him what happened before that Lying snob did (been there done that MANY times) but he wouldn't pick up. Well Pastor came in and told me to come into the office and talk to them, I told him I will not.

Then he said then you have about 10 minutes to pack and leave. Either we will find someone to take you to the shelter or the poilice will. I laughed and said of all the people you could threaten the cops with, These groups of people you take in are the last top be afraid. I'm not leaving until I get ahold of my dad. He said they would and that's when I told them I don't want y'all to talk to him you do nothing but lie. Well the cops came and took me out. We went to the shelter and got dropped off. DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?! A CHRISTIAN CHURCH AND PROGRAM KICKED SOMEONE TO THE STREETS AND TOOK WHAT MONEY THEY HAD TO TRY TO FEND FOR THEMSELVES!!!!!!! So I got settled and went to call my dad off of some random persons cell phone. He answered and cut me off telling me he already knows the story and good luck surviving out on the streets of South Texas. So for days I was out there, walked so much my feet had 17 blisters and my skin hurt SO bad I was so burned.

I STILL have the tan from that and I don't even tan in the first place. I was left with no money and lost about 10 pounds in the matter of 3 days because I couldn't feed myself and when the NASTY shelter they put me in served food it was very small portions and always served while I was out trying to go forward with my life by finding a job or something! The mistake the Cowgers made in putting me out like they did is, I know street life. I can do street life. I know how to take care of myself when drive bys and murders are everywhere. When I have to buck up and do it, I can and I did. I made a way to someone in the ministry who KNEW all the bad stuff that was going on.

She and her husband and daughter in law (all of which I adore(d)) came and picked me up from the shelter and asked whats happened the Cowgers wont tell me anything. They took me to a nice restaurant of which I couldn't eat. My body was used to starvation that I felt unable to eat without puking. Then they got ahold of my parents and told them the truth. My family and I are now reunited, I live in Wisconsin now with my grandparents, I still talk to and love this family that took me in and cared for me. Now I have the pieces to pick up in my life. The walls I have built, the trust I can't give out, the anger and betrayal I feel. I am literally an emotional wreck trying to hide it behind a mask and move on with my life. This form is nothing compared to what I REALLY went through there and after.