Alex is a graduate from our Hope House Residential Treatment Program. Read her full story below:

My substance abuse problem lasted nearly a decade, leading me to years of homelessness. Feeling completely hopeless, I wondered what to do about my life. You'd think that an unplanned pregnancy at that point in my life would only complicate matters, but it was precisely that which led me to Service League.

I learned about Hope House from my probation officer who was helping me come up with a plan to stay clean during my pregnancy. I had a few residential treatment programs to choose from, but I chose Hope House after touring it for a few reasons. It was a beautiful, comfortable home, the intake coordinator was insistent, and, having been completely hopeless for years, I thought if anyone had enough hope to share with me until I could create my own, it would be this place.

I lived at Hope House for 7 months, and was completely protected in their safe bubble for the duration of my pregnancy and my first month of motherhood. While there, I took classes all day, including some Stanford classes. I originally went into Hope House to learn how to live without using drugs every day, but because of the programs and services they offered, particularly the Stanford classes, I quickly expanded my focus to making plans for my future and going back to school.

After graduating Hope House, I had a completely new vision for my life. I put my son in preschool and registered myself in community college. I transferred to University of San Francisco where I earned a bachelor's degree in Business Management, and went on to earn a master's degree in Community Health and Prevention Research from Stanford University's School of Medicine. Today, I have 10 years clean, I work in the School of Nursing at USF, I have been teaching health-related classes to incarcerated women for the past 5 years, and I think of Hope House often. I truly believe I'm where I am today because Hope House gave me a safe place to organize my thoughts, and a solid foundation to rebuild my life.