“Coming from the streets, my life became unmanageable, and I was about to lose everything,” begins “Bethany.” “My son was taken from me in the hospital, and so my recovery journey began with him.” As she was preparing to graduate from inpatient treatment, Bethany says, “I knew I needed a safe place for me and my son.” She then made the decision to move into HOSWWA’s Phoenix House. “I was scared to make that commitment to move away from everything I knew,” she admits. “After finding out what the Phoenix House had to offer, I decided that it would be the best option for my recovery.”
Phoenix House is a HOME-funded housing complex designed for parents exiting drug or alcohol treatment. Residents have intensive case management and supportive services, so recovering parents can turn their lives around. “With the help of Phoenix House case management, I have learned what my priorities should be, and how to set goals. I have got my driver’s license back, car insurance, a job, and childcare,” she reflects. “My dependency case will be completely closed in a month because I was able to provide a safe, clean, sober, consistent environment for my son.”
Bethany elaborates on how the experience allowed her son to flourish: “My son has thrived since moving to Phoenix House. Since birth he has had a lot of health issues [and] developmental delays. In the last five months here, he has improved so much, and I believe it is because of all the interaction he has had with all the children that live at Phoenix House.” In a matter of months, the lives of Bethany and her son have completely transformed. “I was given a wonderful opportunity to have a second chance at rebuilding my life and becoming the mother my son needed me to be.”