Success Stories
Rose’s Story
Rose had tried to beat her addiction to drugs and alcohol many times on her own and failed. She was at the bottom again when she sat on a church porch and told God “I can’t do this no more. Put me somewhere where I can get it together.” When the police picked her up thirty minutes later for selling it was a blessing in disguise. After serving her time she was released into a six-month residential program that helps women struggling to put substance abuse, mental health issues and homelessness behind them.
“When our women come here they are truly desperate for a second chance,” says Linda Leathers of United Way partner agency The Next Door. “Often they come in wearing just a t-shirt and a pair of sweats — and the t-shirt has their prison number on it.”
Today, Rose has taken her GED test and is a positive role model for others in the program, as well as her adult son who is incarcerated “due to following in my footsteps of selling and using drugs and alcohol,” she explains. United Way supports more than 130 programs that address education, financial stability and health — the very programs that The Next Door partners with to help their clients.
Next Success Story: Building Financial Stability: Rachel
