Before coming to Seattle's Union Gospel Mission, Amber had been in and out of different homeless shelters in the greater Seattle area. She was desperate to find a place where she could find some peace and help to get her life back together. “I was lost, broken, and completely humiliated by the person I had become,” she recalls.
For six months, Amber had made her home on the streets — the lowest point in her life. Deep in heroin addiction and caught up in one toxic relationship after another, Amber at first refused any help. “I just didn’t want the help, to the point where people just stopped helping me, and then I had nothing left. I couldn’t provide for myself anymore. I always relied on other people,” she admits.
“You should go to Hope Place.”
Fortunately, Amber knew of someone who had graduated from our Women's Recovery Program at Hope Place. In the midst of her crisis, her family urged her to give the program a try as well. When she was accepted, Amber felt like a dream had come true.
“I was so happy when I got that phone call,” she remembers. “When I walked in these doors, they brought me up to my room. I was just in tears. I couldn’t get over how beautiful this place was, how nice everybody was. I just felt safe.”
Getting used to her daily schedule was also easier than Amber expected. “When I got my schedule, it was just like, ‘Whoa, I have a reason for waking up today instead of just walking around.’ I would literally just roam the streets,” she says. Thanks to your generosity and the love and support of the staff, Amber found healing for her wounded heart as she progressed through the program.
“God showed me my purpose.”
One of the things Amber is most grateful for during her time in the program is finding the purpose she believes God is calling her to — caring for others. “I really have a heart for helping elderly people or just getting into the medical field in general,” she says. Amber is currently taking a CNA training course but is open to seeing what God has in store for her.
No matter what, she knows she’s not alone. “The key thing for me is that I don’t have to know everything now,” she says. “The staff really wraps their arms around you, and no matter what you choose to do in life, they’re going to be there to support you a hundred percent.”
“It's been a life changer.”
Since graduating from our Women's Recovery Program at Hope Place, Amber is taking things slowly. Now in Renovo, the Mission’s post-graduation program in partnership with Trinity Church, Amber shares, “It’s really a chance just to learn how to live life outside of the program but still have the case management and counseling offered.
Since moving into Renovo, I’ve been able to buy a car, get my license back, and stay connected with my family. Renovo has really helped me grow in myself, knowing I can do things independently now.”
Amber knows for her, striving to maintain her recovery will be a lifelong process. But she has more hope than she has ever had before. The support you’ve given her and knowing who she is in Christ have made all the difference.
Reflecting today on how much her life has changed, Amber says, “I had God in my life this time, and it was completely different. I went through a spiritual journey. The battle was real, and I believe God fought for me hard.”
