Tracy’s Story
Tracy and her infant son came to the Sankofa Program in January of 2009, after living in a battered women’s shelter for several months. Her journey to this point started with her growing up in an unstable environment plagued with domestic violence and parents who were addicted to alcohol and other illicit drugs. Tracy stated, “My brothers were the ones who raised me and [their support] was the only thing that kept me going”.
A few months prior to obtaining housing through Model Cities, Tracy suffered the loss of one of her brothers whom she was very close to as a result of gun violence. Not knowing how to cope with the loss of her brother and her past, she became depressed and began to use alcohol to cope. At 21 years old, Tracy became pregnant and was involved with a man who was abusive. She no longer used alcohol, but continued to battle depression and grief. As Tracy recalls, “the birth of my son was my inspiration for life and if it wasn’t for him, I don’t know where I would betoday”.
Today, Tracy works at a local grocery store and was recently promoted to a training position for Managers. Her ultimate goal is to pursue college and earn a degree in Business. She attributes her life today to motivation from her Sankofa case manager, Tamara, her ARHMS worker, and her job counselor who all pushed her to make a better life for herself and her son. Tracy believes “if you work hard, it will definitely pay off in the long run” and she spends each day working hard to make her life and the life of her son better.