Each morning, Marlena begins her day with gratitude. “First, I thank God for waking me up and giving me another chance,” she said. It’s a routine she never imagined she’d have just a few years ago, when survival meant searching for food in trash cans and spending every dollar on drugs.
Marlena’s life took a downward spiral in 2019 after returning home to care for her aging parents. When they passed away, grief pulled her back into addiction. Crack cocaine consumed her days, and as her resources dwindled, so did her stability. She lost her home, enduring years of homelessness—sleeping in a storage shed, in her car, on friends’ couches, and eventually in shelters.
“I opened my eyes and realized what I was doing—I was killing myself,” she said.
Marlena’s turning point came at a resource fair hosted by Winner’s Assembly Church, where she met community health workers from Volunteers of America (VOA) Texas. They guided her through the housing application process, connecting her with several apartment options. She was ultimately accepted at Kingdom South Apartments, finally regaining a place of her own.
“To have your own roof over your head again feels good,” Marlena said. “To be able to pay rent instead of paying drug dealers is major.”
But housing was just the beginning. Marlena also found a job, reclaiming financial independence. Free from an abusive relationship and no longer bound by addiction, she is focused on her future. “I have an abundance. I can now bless other people,” she said.
Her dream is to one day open a nonprofit to help others facing the same struggles. “I have to share my story so that I can heal, move forward, and help somebody else,” she said.
Marlena’s journey is a testament to resilience—and to the power of the VOA Texas mission which aims to help people turn small victories into lasting change.