Information provided by Community FoodBank of San Benito. Lea este articulo en español aquÃ.
Cecilia (CC), a client in Sun Street Centers’ Hollister Women’s Residential Treatment
Program, was just trying to get out of grief when she fell into alcohol and drug dependency.
CC had a busy childhood chasing after chickens and pigs and helping her grandfather feed
the cows on his farm. When she was 12, her grandfather died. She had a hard adjustment
when the family moved to town. One day, when CC was playing outside, she noticed her
mother’s sad expression through the kitchen window. Two weeks later, her mother was
gone – dead at 38 years of age, leaving four children behind. CC was angry; she missed her
mother, her best friend, who had always been there to love and take care of her. “My
friends remember her to this day,” she said, “all the times she took us cruising, and even
had class parties for us.”
In an effort to numb her pain, CC started using alcohol and missed the first 30 days of high
school. No one in her family tried to stop her. Her father, who had to work to support the
family, just thought she was going through a tough time. “He expected a lot from me, and I
grew to dislike him,” CC said. As a young adult, CC learned to hide her drinking problem
and found work, relying on the energy boost she got after a cousin introduced her to
cocaine. “I was fearless, or so I thought,” she said. “That drug attached to me like a flea on a dog.” CC lost touch with her father, putting on a fake face when she saw him at family
functions.
Eventually CC landed in jail. The Court gave her deferred entry of judgment if she would
enter sober living, but she left after only two weeks, looking over her shoulder the rest of
her years as she continued using drugs and alcohol. “My path and journey led me in a
direction I never thought possible!”
After decades of trying to overcome her addiction, CC came to Sun Street Centers’
residential recovery services in Hollister. The program supports single women, pregnant
women, women with infants, and women with children who are seeking recovery from
addiction. They receive board and care in a cozy Victorian home where they participate in a 24-hr. structured program that confirms the recovery process. There is a daily schedule of education sessions where the women learn to recognize situations that trigger harmful
behavior and develop new strategies to address them. They receive help with housing, job
searches, therapy, medical and dental care, legal advice, and financial assistance. Sun Street Centers’ licensed Clinical Director ensures women in the program receive mental health support. Residents also receive help in developing a plan for recovery after they leave the 90-day program.
Fighting addiction in San Benito County is relentless, not only for those who suffer from it,
but also for their families, employers, and emergency services. In FY23, Sun Street Centers’ Hollister Perinatal Residential Treatment Program served 91 women and their children.
With support through 12 Days of Giving the agency will serve even more in 2024.
12 Days of Giving is a community campaign to raise funds Dec. 1 – 12 for nonprofits who
provide life-sustaining services to San Benito County Residents. Participating organizations are: CASA of San Benito County, Community Food Bank, Emmaus House, Senior Legal Services and Sun Street Centers. Donations are managed by United for San Benito.
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