"Leila's" Success Story

A year ago, I was a middle-aged woman living on the streets of Kent and Queen Anne’s county. This had been my life for 5+ years. My daily ritual was basic survival: getting food, finding a place to sleep, and maybe a shower every once in a while. To numb my pain, my drug of choice became alcohol, which sent me into a downward spiral of addiction, depression and poor health. To put it bluntly, I didn’t know who I was or even recognize myself when I looked in the mirror.

Fast forward to Spring 2026, and I am about to celebrate a year in my own apartment. I didn’t get here by myself, but with the support of several caring people and multiple organizations: Corsica River Mental Health, The Shelter Alliance, The Lion’s Club and several local churches and food banks.

These folks saw something in me that I didn’t even see in myself, but I had to want a new way of life too. The best thing that has happened over the past year is that I have gotten my health back by being able to have regular medical appointments and follow-up visits. I am eating healthier and even caring about how I look by using conditioner in my hair.

The hardest thing is re-establishing relationships with my family and gaining their trust so that I can see them regularly and participate in holidays with my two adult children and grandchildren. Gaining their trust is the biggest hurdle and I need to realize that this is not going to happen overnight, so I need to be patient and do the hard work of restoration every day.

As I look to the future, I finally have hope. I am still a work-in-progress, but I am setting goals for myself that never would have been possible a year ago. My biggest wish is to get my license back, which would not have entered my mind a year ago. Now, I am actually working toward that goal and plan to celebrate with a big party when I achieve it.