“It was hard because my dad was an alcoholic,” Regina shares, “… and my mom was suicidal.” In order to cope, Regina started drinking in elementary school. Her drinking got worse during junior high and high school, and she started smoking pot as well.

Regina’s substance abuse continued into adulthood, and she became homelessness. “It really got to the point where I didn't have anywhere to go,” she recalls. “I'm sleeping at the bus stop. I remember getting frostbitten because it was snowing outside, and it was so cold … it was bad. Then you start being the only person outside, just being out there with no blanket, no coat... It was horrible.”

Regina became addicted to crack cocaine. She says she hit rock bottom while living in a trap house with others, including kids. “I was like, ‘This is not me,’” she says. “’This is not what I want to do. This is not how I want to be.’”

She was arrested and while in jail, Regina was ordered to enter treatment. Her case manager referred her to the Mission’s recovery program for women. When she first came to Hope Place, Regina shares, “I was scared. I was nervous. I didn’t know what to expect. When I walked in, it felt welcoming because everybody was nice and cool and it was something that I had to get used to because I always had my guard up. So when I walked in, I felt the love.”

Regina settled in to Hope Place, making friends with several of the women there, friends she maintains contact with even today, more than six years after graduating.

Regina says the most impactful part of her recovery program was “working with my inner self.” Going through the Mission’s recovery program helped her face and deal with some of her past traumas that she had previously buried. “There are certain things that you forget about that you never talk about or dealt with, and I got to deal with everything there.”

Today, Regina is married and, with her husband, runs two transitional living facilities for people struggling with addiction. Regina loves helping others who struggle as she and her husband once did. As for women considering the Mission, she says to them, “If you’re ready to change your life and start over … it’s a good place to get help …  you have to give it to God. You have to surrender.”