The Healing Place is the house that built me. Having the opportunity to be a staff member in the same house where I was able to get sober has truly become one of the greatest accomplishments of my life.

I am a monitor in the detox and overnight units at the women’s campus. I spend most of my time working in the overnight area of the facility and it has been one of the most humbling yet fulfilling experiences that I have had. We offer a safe alternative to housing for those who are homeless and want to get off the streets for the night, women who have been in domestic violence situations who need a safe place to sleep, and even those who are in active addiction who may have nowhere else to go.

Many of the women who choose to utilize this service provided by The Healing Place are able to come in here nightly and get a hot meal, take a shower, and have a warm place to lay their head for the night. Several of them become regulars. I know that when I come into work, I am going to see many of the same names and faces on a regular basis. I may not know the exact nature of their circumstances and what it was that landed them in our shelter, but my ability to empathize with them has grown immensely and my ability to feel and exhibit compassion is greater than it has ever been. I have grown quite fond of many of the women who seek safety in our overnight shelter, and it warms my heart to see their faces when they wake up in the morning.

I know that there is never any possibility of me saving everyone but if I can help someone who has nowhere else to go and no one who will listen, even just one individual who knows that they are not alone, then I am accomplishing something. Seeing the same faces for an extended period has gotten to be such a regular part of my routine that when the night comes that one of the regulars don’t come in, I think of them and pray for their safety and wellbeing. These ladies have a special place in my heart, a place that I never realized was even there.

I truly believe that this is where I am meant to be and that helping women such as the ones who stay here is my purpose in life. My past has helped to mold me into the woman I am today so that maybe I can help one of these women have a future.