Luz, 48, has spent much of her life
helping others. She worked as a substance
abuse treatment counselor, a police administrative
aide, and a secretary at the first Hispanic
college in America. But, for most of
her life, she was desperately in need
of help herself.
Luz, a self-described “genuine
Nuyorican” grew up in East Harlem,
the daughter of a homemaker and a Korean
War veteran. Like many of WPA’s
clients, Luz was a victim of sexual abuse.
Molested by her father from age six until
his death when she was eight, Luz nonetheless
says that she had a “normal childhood.” “My
mom was illiterate and poor, but she
gave us the best she could,” she said.
Several of Luz’s relatives were
heroin users. At age 12, Luz herself
began to use heroin. She continued to
use drugs for most of the next 30-some
years, moving from heroin to cocaine
to crack. Though she stopped using drugs
at several points, she always came back
to them. “I could never just be
clean,” Luz said. “I always
needed something.”
Luz was a “functional addict,” holding
down public service jobs into her 30s. “It
wasn’t until my later years that
my life just crumbled as my drug use
escalated,” she said. She had a
son with her long-time boyfriend, but
soon he took custody of their child.
After taking a leave of absence from
her job as a police administrative aide,
Luz’s life became focused on supporting
her substance abuse. She took up prostitution
and started selling drugs herself. She
was arrested three times for drug-related
offenses. The first two arrests were
misdemeanors. The third offense—for
drug sales—was a felony. Luz was
mandated to drug treatment at a therapeutic
community in upstate New York. However,
she soon absconded from the program.
Luz lived as an escapee for two years.
Finally, in January 2003, she decided
to turn herself in.
“I decided I couldn’t live
like this anymore,” she explained. “I
had hit rock bottom to the extent that
I was such an ugly person.”
A judge at Manhattan Treatment Court
assigned Luz to WPA’s Alternative
to Incarceration (ATI) program at Hopper Home.
At first, Luz bridled at the ATI’s
restrictions and requirements, but soon
decided to take advantage of the opportunities
the program offered her. She wanted to
be a mother to her son and rebuild her
own life. “My only regret is that
I let too much time go by,” she
said.
At Hopper Home, Luz took advantage of
many of WPA’s services. She began
her substance abuse recovery and attended
group therapy sessions. She immersed
herself in WPA’s educational offerings,
taking writing workshops, seminars on
independent living skills, and classes
in topics from computer skills to yoga.
She also began a vocational training
internship at a center for adults with
mental illness.
Luz also joined WPA’s innovative
advocacy program, the Women’s Advocacy
Project (WAP). She emerged as a strong
group leader and an eloquent public speaker
during the group’s advocacy work
around improving the child welfare system.
For Luz, WAP “opened a door,” she
said. “It gave me a sense of fighting
for a cause. It took the focus off me.”
In February 2004, Luz received custody
of her son through an agreement with
the boy’s father. She has an open,
loving relationship with both her son
and his father, her partner of 20-some
years. They plan to get married next
year—although “he doesn’t
know it yet,” Luz said with a grin.
Luz graduated from Hopper Home in June
2004 after 15 months in the ATI program.
From Hopper Home, she moved to WPA’s
Sunflower House, as one of eight women
in the self-governed permanent residence
for former prisoners in recovery. She
plans on going back to college to get
her bachelor’s degree in human
services.
At this writing, Luz still reports weekly to Hopper Home
for meetings with her WPA counselor and
for drug tests. She will do so for the
next six months in accordance with her
court-mandated treatment program. She
has been drug-free for almost a year
and a half.
For Luz, WPA was a place for her to
start rebuilding her life, one step at
a time. She tells women entering Hopper
Home, “WPA offers a place for a
new beginning. But you have to really
really want it because if you don’t
want it, you’ll be right back where
you started.”
She is full of plans for her future
with her family—studying for an
advanced college degree, finding social
work employment, enjoying family life
with her partner and son—but holds
dear the skills and lessons of WPA.
“There was a sort of feeling here
that made me feel safe,” she said. “I
felt free to just be the person I am…When
I go out, I try to take that with me.
In this whole process, I’ve come
to recognize that I am a good person…I
like myself today. I like being a mother.
I like being a lover. I like being a
friend. I like being me.”
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More success stories:
Claudia’s
Story
Cheryl’s Story
