PHOENIX — While fighting drug addiction and lifelong emotional trauma, Corrine Stewart spent several years living on and off the streets of Phoenix.
"I was just kind of living in a cycle," Stewart told ABC15. "I had gotten sober several times; I had gone through other programs. But nothing really stuck. I wasn't healing what was really driving those behaviors. I think I came in with just so much trauma."
Pregnant and alone in June of 2022, she felt she had hit rock bottom. That was when she lost custody of her two children.
"When the babies were taken by DCS, they went to their grandma’s house," Stewart said. "It was like a breaking point for me. I knew something really needed to permanently change."
That is when she said she found shelter, and what she calls a “real path to wellness,” at the Phoenix Rescue Mission's Changing Lives Center.
"It was complete surrender,” she explained. “And when you come here, you have so much support."
The yearlong residential program has two tracks; one has a focus on mental health and wellness while the other focuses on substance abuse recovery.
Stewart believes the real difference-maker with this program, at least for her, is her spiritual foundation. But she also said there’s more than that.
"There's many other, like very practical things that are offered here that allow you to live in a healthy way," she said.
Stewart received medical coverage when her baby boy was born and then childcare on campus. His siblings can also stay on campus for daycare. It is where they are all living together as a family after Stewart got custody of her children back in February.
"We've been blessed to see so many reunifications!” said Andrea Alfred, the recovery program manager at Phoenix Rescue Misson. “They didn't think they would ever see their kids again, but because they're working on their lives, and we're a trusted program [by DCS], people are getting their kids back. And that is phenomenal!"
Alfred explained that the women are learning self-sufficiency in a safe environment.
"The safety factor is number one, hence the gates, you have to be authorized to be on campus," Alfred said. "We don't just let people in. We also follow HIPAA. Our program teaches them it's okay to say 'no.' We teach them it's okay to be with friends. It's okay to love again."
By offering wrap-around support and vocational development, these women also get time to learn about conflict resolution and coping skills.
"By the time they complete this 12-month program,” Alfred explains, “they're going out looking for jobs and we're supporting them with that with training, with opportunities and programs."
Stewart said she wants other people to know these resources are available in Arizona. Thanks to the program, she is now certified to be a peer support specialist.
"You can work in inpatient, you can work in a sober living, things like that, but you are working directly with people who are in their journey and that's what it's about. Helping other people through your own testimony."
The Phoenix Rescue Mission's Changing Lives Center is located at 338 N. 15th Ave. in Phoenix. You can call them at 602-688-6219 for more information.