Before she turned 15, Celena had overdosed six times. By 18 Celena had been incarcerated due to drug issues. Experiencing homelessness, and convicted of creating, distributing, and consuming meth, the legal system “wanted to make an example of me,” she says. And not a good one. “I was young and had gotten into some big …
“We do recover.” That’s the simple, profound message Jolena shares with the women she works with as Peer Support Specialist at the Bridges to Change – Grounded Transitions Program in Portland. As a peer support mentor, Jolena provides assistance to 10 women living drug-free while they get their lives back on track. From helping them …
At age 16 Yehiah, the youngest of five, was living in Waltham, Massachusetts. With all of his siblings in college that seemed like Yehiah’s path, too. Then the economy took a downturn, his family fell on hard times, and he says, “My grades dropped and I started hanging out with the wrong people.” It would …