Testimonials

Marie M. spent the first months of her daughter’s life keeping a debilitating secret. From the outside, she appeared to be a confident young wife and mother, going about her busy life with her characteristic energy and organization: Marie was used to setting and meeting ambitious goals. At nineteen years old, Marie had emigrated from … [Read More…]

Bernadine Kelly did not come to HAS willingly. A drug and alcohol user since the age of twelve, she had tried treatment before, with poor results. This time, however, Bernadine was offered a simple choice: treatment—the judge recommended Sisterhouse—or ten years in prison. Bernadine chose Sisterhouse, but she wasn’t happy about it. “I was bitter,” … [Read More…]

Maria K. helps people get what they need.  She locates apartments, speaks with employers, and evaluates educational programs: “I have a beautiful job,” she says.  “I find people what they need to stay safe and keep sober.”  Currently employed as a Housing Consultant for HAS’s Transitional Housing Program, Maria is a natural fit for the … [Read More…]

On October 5, 2009, Samantha F. made a decision: she was going to get clean, no matter what it took. “I was in jail,” she remembers. “I was there every day—they were sick of me. And I just had this vision: I saw myself in a dumpster, dead. And I knew that if I didn’t … [Read More…]

“If it weren’t for HAS,” states Bobby G., “I wouldn’t be here today.” Bobby, now sober for two years, drank for forty and had been in and out of treatment several times, but he came to HAS’s Recovery Management program at a particularly difficult point in his life: “I was alone, I was homeless, and … [Read More…]

Melva Q used to think that alcohol use—sometimes heavy alcohol use—was a normal teenage pastime, just another way to have fun. “I was going to parties all the time,” she says. “I thought I was just enjoying life, living it to the fullest.” That changed in 2009 when Melva, then seventeen, was charged with underage … [Read More…]

When Glenda C. learned that her fourth child was going to be a girl, she cried—and not out of happiness. Although she cannot imagine life without her youngest daughter now, during her pregnancy the news meant only sadness and anxiety. As a survivor of childhood abuse herself, Glenda “just didn’t want to bring another girl … [Read More…]

In 2007, as part of an assignment at school, Dulce M.’s daughter composed a letter to Santa. What she wanted for Christmas, she wrote, was help with her father—she wanted the violence at home to stop. Dulce’s sadness at what her daughter had seen and experienced was compounded by a frightening piece of information: social … [Read More…]

Darrell R. grew up in a middle-class home. His family was never short of money, and his mother and grandmother provided him not only with material possessions, but with guidance, support, and a strong set of values. Darrell’s friends graduated from high school and set off for destinations including Northwestern, the University of Iowa, and … [Read More…]

Eunice R. is a busy woman. She works full-time as an accountant, volunteers at her church, is vice president of her block club, helps her mother around the house, and provides child care for her daughter. She is also on the Sisterhouse board, serves as president of its alumni association, mentors a current resident there, … [Read More…]

As a young man, Jorge V. vowed never to become addicted to drugs or alcohol. He had seen the effects of drinking and drug use on his stepfather, an alcoholic, and he hated it. While many of his peers became involved with gangs and crime, Jorge was active in the local Boys and Girls club … [Read More…]

Home and family have always been very important to Melina M. “I love being at home,” she says with a smile. “I love to cook. Cooking is my hobby. Even if we don’t always understand each other when we’re speaking, we understand each other when we’re eating!” The mother of five had always been a … [Read More…]