Christy appreciates the structure the program provides.

Christy describes her childhood in one word: chaos. Growing up in the projects of Bakersfield with three siblings, she remembers constant screaming from her parents—especially her mother—and a deep sense of neglect. “My parents ate first and we ate last,” she recalled. “I remember the hunger. I remember it made me feel like they didn’t care about us.”

When Christy was 11, her mother left with another man, and her parents divorced. The emotional impact was so strong that she buried their wedding album in an empty lot. “I think to me, it was the death of how they treated us. I just wanted to bury all that away.”

After the divorce, Christy entered junior high in a new city and withdrew into herself. She pushed her feelings down, avoided people, and gravitated toward peers who smoked and drank. By 13, alcohol became part of the mask she wore to hide years of being told she was “fat, ugly, and stupid.” Today, she says she finally knows what God thinks of her.

At 19, Christy married her high school sweetheart and had three children. She stayed sober during her pregnancies and drank only occasionally for many years. But after her marriage ended 15 years later, her drinking escalated. She maintained a stable job as a dietician and her own home, but her addiction deepened. “I was a functioning alcoholic,” she said. “But it got to the point where I would need to have a drink in the morning before work, and it got harder and harder to hide.”

Eventually, Christy retired early to conceal her addiction. When she could no longer afford rent, she ended up sleeping on the streets. An old friend found her and brought her to the Mission. “They offered to help me a few times before, but I wasn’t ready. But I am now. I don’t want to still be in my addiction; I don’t want to still be on the streets.”

Christy says the program’s structure has been essential. “The staff know me well and will put me in my place if I need it. I’m good with structure. The hard part, which I’m learning, is what to do when I have freedom.”

She has been preparing for her next chapter—completing housing applications, saving enough to buy a car, and securing a job. “When I first got here, I wasn’t so sure about it,” she laughed. “But I’m in a very, very good place in my life right now. I’m working the program and doing what I need to do. Mostly, God’s teaching me to have faith in Him.”