Lenora’s Story
“My situation? Now that I have overthought this, I will start by telling you about how my situation became a journey I am so grateful for today.
After the loss of my husband, I fell deeper into my addiction with alcohol. I was an alcoholic and I was homeless for many years. I lost all hope when I gave temporary guardianship to my sister-in-law of my son. I was happy he was safe. I kept drinking. She let me start visiting, days then weekends. I kept drinking. I was so deep into my addiction that I do not even remember how social services got involved. My social worker said that I needed to get into a Detox program and find a safe and stable home for my son. This moment changed everything for me, it made me realize that I had a problem and was deep in my addiction and needed help. I wanted help. This moment gave me hope and helped me realize that I could be a mom again. I hit the ground running. I contacted a detox center and got the help that I needed to detox. I attended perinatal classes often and then I found Colette’s. I am a recovering alcoholic, I am happy, my son is happy. Words cannot express how thankful I am for Colette’s Children’s Home.
Colette’s is my “too good to be true.” All I knew at the time is that I wanted to be at Colette’s. I had heard so many great things about the program and how they help reunify mothers with their children. I was referred to Colette’s from the detox center. I started calling a lot and finally Colette’s called me in for an interview. I was so excited, a place I could bring my son to. An opportunity to get him back. However, everything was put on hold. When I was in the detox center, I had taken medication that would delay my plans. When I came to Colette’s I was asked to test. I could not pass a drug test. The medication that they gave me at the detox center stayed in my system for about a month and a half. This did not hold me back. Every Friday morning at 9 a.m. I would come into the office to test, hoping that this would be the day the medication would leave my system. I was patient. This was a part of my journey. The girls at the front were extremely nice and understanding and would greet me every time with a smile and compassion. Then finally after a month and half of testing I was in! I knew everything was going to be great. Once I passed my drug test and got my move in date my social worker closed my case. Everything was finally coming all together. My cased was closed and Jonathan was all mine!
Colette’s is more than a program, it is personal. It is all about empowerment. I can say I am a success story, but not without a lot of help from my case manager and CCH staff. I am grateful for my caseworkers and the care I received down to the last detail. Tuesday night life skill meetings were so useful on teaching me how to be a better parent and how to effectively communicate. Colette’s makes you feel like you are a part of a community. I will take with me the lessons from budgeting and savings to help achieve self-sufficiency. It gave me the confidence to believe in myself and know I can do it. Colette’s went above and beyond helping make every transition seamless and smooth. Being able to give my son a wonderful Christmas after not thinking I could give him anything he wanted. Having access to a donation center made it possible to save every bit of money I had. Colette’s gave me a fresh start after I thought all was lost. My journey and this chapter of my life may be closing but Colette’s provided me with the love and support to continue. I now have the tools to be self-sufficient and be my own success story. Thank you!” – Lenora