Sunday, November 27, 2022 | Special Advertising Section 1 R 10 Rebuilding relationships, reengaging with society “I was homeless for about six months,” says Amber. “I had been in and out of every homeless shelter in Seattle and King County. I just didn’t feel safe or comfortable anywhere. I was lost, broken, completely humiliated of … the person I had become.” As with many of our homeless neighbors, Amber’s journey to homelessness began at a young age. “My addiction started when I was about 16,” she says. “I started doing pills with friends, then heroin, and then next thing you know, I was in full blown, active addiction.” Though she got into a recovery program a few years later, it didn’t last. “I still hung around old people and [after] six months of being clean, I was right back in that cycle again.” At Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission, it is believed that unhealthy and broken relationships are at the root of homelessness. For that reason, Mission staff and volunteers take a relational approach with our homeless neighbors, believing that true healing occurs in the context of healthy, supportive, loving relationships with God and others. According to Annette Smiley, Director of Women and Children’s Ministries at the Mission, many of our homeless neighbors “have trauma, have issues with trust. They have broken relationships. Healing … comes through experiences and relationships.” Unhealthy relationships helped lead to Amber’s relapse, and eventually, played a role in her becoming homeless. “I was just in and out of toxic relationships,”Amber says. “People (would) just stop helping me and then I had nothing left. I couldn’t provide for myself anymore. I always relied on other people. I was very codependent and that’s what led to my homelessness.” As many of our homeless neighbors do, Amber struggled with both addiction and mental health issues, including depression and anxiety. “I was homeless and living in a really dark place,” she says. “I suffered mental health issues and had Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission loves and cares for our homeless neighbors throughout greater Seattle. We address root causes and break the cycle of homelessness by meeting urgent physical needs, building relationships, and o!ering long-term recovery programs. Learn more at ugm.org. absolutely no support.” Thankfully, for Amber, her family had told her about Hope Place, the Mission’s recovery program for women. “My sister’s best friend graduated from the program, and my family would just remind me, ‘You should go to Hope Place,’ ”Amber recalls. “I was so happy when I got that phone call from the front desk, asking me to do my intake,”Amber says as she recounts her transition from the streets to the safety of the Mission. “When I walked in these doors and they brought me up to my room, I was just in tears.” At Hope Place, Amber worked her program and began to heal from her mental health struggles. “I was able to …work through problems that I’ve never been able to work through before with the love and support and care from all the teachers and staff there,” she says. According to Annette, Mission staff walk alongside men and women in recovery. “It starts with relationships,” she says. “Developing that relationship and that trust to help them navigate programs and resources with the ultimate goal of them graduating and getting connected services.” After graduating from PROVIDED BY SEATTLE’S UNION GOSPEL MISSION Amber found the love and support she needed to start a new life at Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission. The Mission’s long-term recovery programs provide the physical, mental, and spiritual healing people need to rebuild relationships and reengage with society. Hope Place, Amber joined the Mission’s post recovery living and support program, where she’s able to learn to live an independent life and continue to build healthy relationships. She now works full-time as a forklift driver. “It’s just been a really great experience and I’m really excited what the next year at this company is going to have for me,” she says. Amber says her life has “completely changed.” Her relationship with her family has become even stronger and she is able to spend more time with them. She’s built new friendships as well. “I have people I can talk to today that will be there as lifelong friends,” she says. Amber understands that recovery is a lifelong process, but she knows that she has the tools, including the healthy, supportive, loving relationships, to succeed. “Every day you’re striving for success and you’re striving to maintain that recovery,” she says. “I have friends today and I have the support that I’ve always dreamed of.”
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