Tracey White has served as the Lead Recovery Support Specialist at Sojourner House for six years. But that is not where her story with the organization starts. Sojourner House has played a part in Tracey's life for 26 years. In 1995, she started her recovery journey in Apartment 9. After she completed her six-month program, she said she didn’t want to leave. But she knew she had to. Knowing that she always did well in a structured setting, Tracey went to another recovery program for a year. There she found a job, found housing, and, in her words, “Never looked back.” Tracey celebrated 26 years clean on December 20th. You Can Go Home Again During her recovery journey, Tracey says that she learned that you can go back home again. After being clean for about 3 years, she came back to … [Read more...] about Meet Tracey-Ann White
We have good and bad news to share. Sojourner House’s Program Manager Dolores Mitchell, lovingly known as Ms. D, is retiring this month! With 22 years of service at Sojourner House, Dolores is someone we run to when we have a problem knowing she’s always happy to help. To celebrate her retirement, we chatted with Dolores to learn about her experiences and hear her advice. A Golden Heart for Human Services Dolores enjoys working with people and encouraging them to reach their potential. Before Sojourner House, Dolores worked with the Girl Scouts of the USA for many years. During her time with the Girl Scouts, she started a program to reach underserved girls and recruited leaders and troops. The moms of her scouts would volunteer to help, and a couple of the moms were dealing with … [Read more...] about Meet Dolores Mitchell
Panel Recap: Recovery from Substance Use Disorder Sojourner House helps families successfully navigate their journey to recovery from substance use disorder. We help families achieve their recovery goals by providing safe and affordable housing, support services, necessary referrals, and an atmosphere of community encouragement. Community awareness and understanding of what recovery treatment looks like are vital in our work. On September 23, 2021, we brought together our partners in the community to discuss recovery from substance use disorder, what recovery looks like today, and how the community can help shape its future. Here are some insights from this virtual panel discussion. Breaking the Stigma of Substance Use Disorder Why is it important to talk about substance use … [Read more...] about Panel Recap: Recovery from Substance Use Disorder
We are excited to welcome Latresa Zak, MSW, to Sojourner House as our new Director of Clinical Services. Latresa has a deep passion for helping people in need. Through a conversation with Latresa, one is easily empowered by her words of compassion and moved by her work of assisting families in substance-use recovery. From Real Estate to Social Work Latresa worked in real estate prior to her study of and career in social work. An important reason inspired her career change. One of Latresa’s favorite uncles, the one who tied her hair up, watched cartoons with her, and walked her to school when she was little, was a drug user and later diagnosed with Schizophrenia. At the time, she didn’t know how to help him and could only look up services and answer his past-midnight calls trying to … [Read more...] about Meet Latresa Zak