“It feels good to walk through that Peace House door, seeing everybody happy to see me. I have been gone for nine months, and it feels great to walk back through the door again. People are happy to see me and I’m happy to see them. It’s a good environment ‘cause I have friends that misses me so much.”
So says Regina, one of Peace House Community’s long-time community members. She’s been part of PHC since about 2013, when she moved from Chicago to be closer to her kids. Over the years, she dealt with debilitating hip problems and drug use, but she’s come through it all to make a new life for herself. Her friends at PHC were a big part of her journey.
A friend introduced Regina to PHC shortly after her move to Minneapolis, and she became a daily visitor. She tried to take care of herself, including going to a residential treatment program in Rochester a few years ago. Her friends from PHC called her to encourage her while she was away.
“It felt good hearing from my friend and everybody up here. It really did. I loved it. I was happy to hear from them,” she remembers. “It felt so good because I was, like, a lonely person out there. It felt good hearing from my friends and everybody up here. It really did. I loved it. I was happy to hear from them. I really was. I felt great and they cheered me up cause I was like a prison person without my friends here.”
Regina’s insurance would only cover one month of treatment, so she soon found herself back in Minneapolis with the same challenges, but she didn’t give up. She eventually put all the pieces together, overcoming health and drug problems at the same time.
“I had a hip surgery ‘cause I couldn’t hardly walk. So I moved away, got hip surgery, got my health together again. I’ve been clean going on nine months now, and I’m doing so good. I can do the things I couldn’t do, but I can do it now. Buy things I couldn’t buy – everything I need now. So, I’m great!”
As much as she likes the community members at PHC, Regina recognizes that the neighborhood may not be the best for her. “I get tired of that environment and I had to get away. And I got away, got myself together, and I don’t want to come back to it. But I will come and visit.”
Despite her own reservations, Regina is glad PHC is still here for others. “It’s a nice environment to help you out a lot. They give you what you need. If they got it, they feed you. It’s a good place to be. Just stay out of trouble. Stay to yourself or talk to people that you know. But other than that, it’s a nice place to be. It’s really good.”