Rebuilding Lives. Strengthening Communities.

“People had faith in me.
It was enough to keep me going.”
MAYORAL POLICY CAUCUS ON PRISONER REENTRY
82
In 1999, she gave birth to her
third daughter. Billie was drugfree
and employed at odd jobs
during this time. Although she
was clean for three more years,
her drug habit resurfaced in
2002 and she was arrested for
felony prostitution. She spent a
short time in prison.
Finally, at this point, Billie
became resolved. “I was not
going back, I wanted to see my
baby, and everything took a
turn.” She returned home, but
DCFS required Billie to attend
drug treatment to maintain custody
of her youngest daughter.
She entered in-patient residential
treatment, while her mother
and friends took care of her
daughter. From there, she went
to a DCFS-affiliated recovery
home for six months, and then
into DCFS-affiliated semi-independent
housing. She regularly
attended Alcoholics Anonymous
and Narcotics Anonymous
meetings. She has a strong support
network of family members
and friends, many of whom
are recovering addicts, and have
been clean for many years. “I
often turn to my oldest brother
for support,” she says. “He is my
[AA] sponsor. He keeps our
family together. He is a recovering
addict, and used to tell me,
‘Billie, it is okay if you relapse. It
takes a few times to get things
right.’”
During this time, she heard
about a community-based
employment agency from her
case manager and from some
girlfriends, and began its jobreadiness
and placement program.
She also became an
intern at the agency’s social
enterprise business. “People
had faith in me,” Billie realizes.
“It was enough to keep me
going. I found out that I am
responsible. Through my evaluations,
I always ranked number
one.”
Now, she has been clean for two
years. She recently became
employed with a local taxicab
company.“I am never late, never
sick. I am responsible. I am willing
to go above and beyond in
jobs, and I would do anything to
help others on my team.” One
month ago, she regained custody
of her youngest daughter,
and moved into an independent
living housing facility. She
recently opened up a bank
account, and has accumulated a
small savings. She has reestablished
her relationships with her
relatives, and as she says, “I’m
best friends with my mother.
My whole family supported me
through everything.”
Billie knows her successes. As
she tells it,“everything is coming
along. I’m not stressed out. I’m
not in need of anything. I am
just keeping up with treatment
and my programs. If I use another
drug, I know the consequences.”