Micah House Residents Become a Family As They Find Footing on the Road to Independence

[By Genie Grohman; from February 2008 Vine]

Following two graduations in 2007, Micah House is currently home to two women who have been there about a year and two others who moved in within the last few months.

Newcomer Gloria learned of Micah House from a counselor at Harbor Lights, the treatment center at which she began her recovery from seven recent years of addiction. Her recovery is the main focus of her life now. Gloria works as a cashier at a Safeway in Bethesda, a job she is grateful for, although it means a commute, on public transportation, of at least an hour each way.

Originally from New York, Gloria moved to the Washington area about five years ago. New York is too crowded, she said, and too hectic. She repeats the familiar mantra: "It's OK to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there." Gloria is the oldest of 11 children. During her addiction, she said, "my mom was there for me no matter what," although many of her siblings could not deal with her erratic behavior.

"Now we're all a family together," she said. "Everyone came to my graduation from Harbor Lights." Her grown son, too, is a part of her life now. From her family, Gloria developed a generosity of heart, which she counts as her defining quality and one that infuses all parts of her life.

For Cynthia, the other new resident of at Micah House, the path to recovery began during her incarceration for a drug-related offense. After jail, she moved to the House of Ruth, which serves homeless women, and then to Micah House. Cynthia currently holds two jobs: one in an office for a wrecking company, the other as a concierge for a 270-unit residential building in Dupont Circle.

Cynthia, too, comes from a large family, of 13 children, and she continued the tradition with seven children of her own. She has three grandchildren.

"I put my family through a lot," she said of her years of using drugs. With her recovery and her employment, "this year I was able to give them Christmas." Having reached this milestone, her goals are "to become more productive, be a responsible person and stay in recovery."

Cynthia treasures her ability to be a loving and caring person, and she offers words of encouragement to other women who feel their lives are lost. "There is light at the end of the tunnel: all you have to do is have faith and believe in yourself and in God."

Shon and Saundra--who have been at Micah House about a year, half the average tenure-- are proceeding on the path to independence. Shon's new job as a shift supervisor in a food establishment came about surprisingly. After the coffee shop in which she had been working closed, someone approached her to apply for a position with a New York-based chain that had begun opening restaurants in the Washington area. Unbeknownst to her, managers from that chain had been scouting her at the coffee shop; when they interviewed her, they told her that her competence and friendliness were notable.

"My life is really coming together," Shon said. "I love my job and am learning so much at it; my goal is to be a general manager at a one of the locations."

Saundra is continuing her two jobs: one as an addiction counselor and the other as an administrative staffer in a health-care organization. A recent big event for her was to host Christmas dinner at Micah House for her family and the other residents. Saundra's considerable culinary skills were on display, with lots of "down home" favorites. This "family" dinner exemplifies how Micah House is truly a home to its residents as they pursue the goal of independence.

[by Genie Grohman; from March 2006 Vine]