Meet our Community: Donna

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TW: Discussions of addiction and recovery

On April 1st, Donna moved into the first apartment she has ever had to herself. Her journey started two years ago, when she made the brave decision to get clean and sober. 

When I asked her what inspired her on that day, after years of living with addiction, she shared, “Part of it was my health. I had been on life support twice. I had overdosed like 6 times. At one time, my kids were told that I would not be coming home because I would not be coming off life support. The day they were going to have to pull life support... I woke up. My kids told me, “Mom, we’ve had enough. We’re not going to go through this anymore. You have grandbabies. Can you please stop using IV drugs for the family?” I lived right across the street from Best Care. So I went right across the street, and I haven’t relapsed since.” 

Over the past two years, Donna lived in a variety of sober living homes while working with Best Care for treatment services. In 2024, she applied for the Housing Choice Voucher through Housing Works. At the very end of the year, she checked her email and was surprised to find that she had been selected! She was overjoyed, but knew she needed assistance with the process. She requested that she be referred to Thrive for help finding and applying for a rental.  

Donna was quickly connected with Alisha, stating,

“That was the best thing that happened to me in my two years working on my sobriety. [Alisha]- she was a constant…she made me feel like I was her only client, which I know was not true.” 

Donna jumped in, completing whatever paperwork or calls Alisha recommended her to do. Her process was not without challenges, though. With an eviction on her rental history from when she was struggling with addiction, Alisha helped her understand what she could do to boost the likelihood that she would be approved for a rental. 

Donna gathered support letters and started making payments on some debt they discovered on her credit report. Alisha and Donna worked together on these tasks before applying to an apartment, which is quite common when applicants are working with Thrive. Thrive can help applicants understand aspects of their application that could lead to a denial, and thus do what they can to be proactive. Because they worked on the barriers ahead of time, Donna only ended up applying to one property, and she was approved! 

“There are not even words to describe how much respect I have for Alisha…she busted her 😉 to work with me before my voucher expired.” 

Today, as Donna settles into her new apartment, she is grateful to be able to relax. She has started propagating some plants in her bay windows. She’s able to work on some of her favorite hobbies, like coloring, diamond art, and most recently, rock painting. She had a complete knee replacement last week, sending her on her way to greater mobility in the future. 

When asked if she has any advice for folks out there that are also working toward housing stability, she advises to,

“Stay positive - in my opinion there is always light at the end of the tunnel”.

When someone makes a big change in their life like Donna did, it’s not easy. There are a lot of unknowns, and that in itself can send someone back to their past coping mechanisms, like drugs or alcohol. I was curious if Donna would share what made her make that change two years ago. Here’s what she said: 

“Honestly, you have to WANT to get clean. Inside, you have to want it.  You can’t do it for someone else. I had relapsed so many times. I had graduated from Best Care twice. I was on probation, I was on parole. Nothing stopped me. I continued to use. But something that day made me walk across that street.”

Donna’s story of overcoming addiction and finding housing is one that needs to be heard more. All too often, we hear such negative language around those experiencing housing insecurity and addiction. An addiction does not take away someone’s humanity. It does not take away their ability to care, to love, to have a family, to have dreams. 

Having a home is a huge part of staying clean and sober. As Donna says, “You know, I know where I’m going to lay my head at night. I know where I’m going to wake up. I know I’m going to have that cup of coffee in the morning.” 

Thank you so much for sharing yourself and your story with us, Donna! You are a light to others.