Chloe’s Story

From Survival to Strength: Choosing a Different Future

A Life Without Stability

I’ve moved more than 25 times in my 23 years of life. I’ve stayed with family, friends, shelters—anyone who’d let me crash for a while. But it was always temporary. I never had a place that was actually mine. 

At 20, I moved in with my daughter’s father. It got toxic fast. Manipulative. Controlling. The last time we saw him, he burned our stuff in front of us. I have a restraining order now. After that, I was couch-hopping again. I knew I needed something different—something stable. So I went to court alone, filed the papers myself, and then drove straight to Atlanta Mission. 
  

Finding Safety and Healing

I didn’t know what I was walking into. But I knew I had to do something for my daughter, Caroline—she’s three— and for me. At first, I was just trying to breathe. You don’t realize how much you’ve been in survival mode until someone tells you it’s okay to rest. I’m in the addiction recovery program now. I’ve been clean since I got here. I’ve taken every class. I’ve done my step work. I’m learning how to slow down and how to think before I act. I didn’t want to end up like my mom. She lost us to addiction. I’m not letting that happen to Caroline. Every time I show up for a group session, every time I choose to stay instead of run—that’s me breaking a cycle. That’s me choosing her. My advocate, Miss Avis—she’s tough. At first, I was terrified of her. But she’s one of the reasons I didn’t give up. She held me accountable. She pushed me. She cared enough to be honest. 
 

Breaking the Cycle for Caroline

Caroline was barely talking when we got here. Now she won’t stop. She used to flinch when people raised their voices. Now she sings in the hallway. We’re both learning how to live again. 
 


I just graduated from the Next Steps program. I’m job searching now, and for the first time in my life, I feel like I can actually do this. I don’t need to depend on anyone else. I’ve got this.