Sitting in her one room efficiency apartment, Janet, a soft spoken and shy woman, shared her struggles with alcoholism and homelessness. To understand her story, it is important to understand how her life began.

Janet was raised by a single mother, a woman who suffered from alcoholism and who often dated other alcoholics. Before she was taken from her mother at age twelve, she would often have to wait in the car while her mom and boyfriend drank in the local bars. 

Growing up, life was hard for Janet, yet she was eventually able to obtain her GED. However, in her twenties, she began a downward spiral of severe alcoholism, panic attacks, mood swings, and depression, eventually becoming homeless. She was plagued by these symptoms until 2001, when she was hospitalized with cirrhosis of the liver. It was so severe that the doctors did not think she would live.

However, she not only survived, but also managed to get herself sober, while still living on the streets. She has been sober for nine years and says she feels great.
With help from the Mental Health Mental Retardation (MHMR) outreach team, she was able to transition from homelessness into housing at Safe Haven. From there, she began working with a Front Steps' Case Manager, who still meets with her on a weekly basis.

Now, when she feels a panic or anxiety attack coming on, instead of drinking, she goes for walks, exercises, and socializes with her friends. She likes to crochet, play cards and dominoes, and read. Janet says it breaks her heart to see others going through the same downward spiral that she did, and though she wants to help them, she knows there are some people she cannot associate with. She has even had to give up friends in order to maintain her sobriety, which is an everyday struggle.

She no longer depends on alcohol, and has since been diagnosed and medicated for depression and bipolar disorder. Janet has been living at Garden Terrace for a little over a year, and we are happy to have helped her find a pathway home.

Good luck and best wishes Janet!

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