Testimonials

Our clients come with many different stories and from many different backgrounds. Each and every person that walks through our doors has a story to tell and has transformed in some way that has allowed them to lead a healthier and happier life. Here are a few testimonials from graduates of the Vegas Stronger program.

MaryJane’s Story

Tragedy, Survival, Perseverance & Hope

Part 1 – Tragedy

I lived a pampered life. I was married, had a large home, owned a business that provided holistic healing and arts, drove a Lexus, and had a husband and three children whom I loved. I was living a dream life until my husband told me he no longer loved me, divorced me, and took my children to live with his new girlfriend. I had a complete breakdown and turned to drinking, and eventually drugs, to make myself feel better. Very shortly after my spiral began, I was arrested for distribution, when a man I thought was my friend asked to buy a small amount of drugs from me. He was an informant and I was entrapped. My lawyer advised me to take a plea deal, stating that I would be out and receive community service, but I was instead given a five-year prison sentence with no option for early release. My life had turned completely upside down in a matter of 5 months. Once I was released from prison, I found myself with no resources to restart my life. I was a dry drunk without a program and had no relationship with my children. I found myself in poor housing situations where I was once again mistreated, abandoned, and left to my own devices. I went from a toxic live-in nanny situation to living in a Stratosphere hotel room. I was hit by a car and after they treated me enough for me to be released in a wheelchair, they left me on the sidewalk in the homeless corridor of Las Vegas, instead of working with me to find short-term housing or to access other community resources that might help me. I spent a few days in my wheelchair on the sidewalk when a homeless man approached me and offered me safety and respite from the elements in “the tunnels” – stretches of underground pathways under the city that were created for rainwater to alleviate flooding.

Part 2 – Survival

Instead of helping me, this man kept me captive there and kept a chain around my ankle so I could not escape. My world had now gone from upside down to a complete psychological nightmare. Twice over the three years that I was held captive did I try to escape, each time I was caught, beaten, and almost died. I saw dogs that were treated better than I was, better than other women that I knew were locked down there too. Over time I gained the trust of those keeping me captive and was tasked with taking care of a group of “dangerous Cubans” where I cooked, did laundry, and gave the men haircuts. I learned that these men go out into the city and take advantage of women by taking their money and whatever else they can get. Other men heard about the food I was cooking and the haircuts I provided and I had to serve them as well. As they trusted me, they gave me more freedom. I no longer had the chain around my ankle. One day when I was left alone, I took my belongings and my service dog and I ran! They found me, took my meager belongings and my dog, but let me have my life. I finally escaped.

Part 3 – Perseverance

I was now living on the Las Vegas streets, and was working odd jobs for food and other things I needed. I cleaned parking lots, collected cans, and lived in homeless encampments that routinely were broken up by city workers. Of course, no one believed me when I told them about being held captive in the tunnels, not even the people who were providing resources to the unhoused, they thought I was mental or high. I saw things no one should ever see, experienced things no one should ever experience, and no one cared. I found myself in repeated situations, and felt so exhausted and hopeless. One day when I was on Fremont Street, I cried silent tears and prayed for help. Right then, a woman walked up to me, offered me a cigarette, and asked if I needed help. Because of my history, I was wary of people offering help, but I could tell that she was different. She worked with a community outreach program called “Shine a Light.” She helped me find short-term housing and for the first time in years I showered and put on clean clothes! It was an incredible feeling! I also had a list of community resources and a bus pass, through those resources I identified and went to Vegas Stronger, which was nearby.

Part 4 – Recovery & Hope

That was two years ago, November 2022, and I’ve been coming back to Vegas Stronger consistently ever since. I graduated from the intensive outpatient program where I received treatment for substance use, I received mental health counseling to help me deal with the trauma I had experienced, and I found a community that didn’t judge, but was caring and compassionate and welcoming. Thanks to the resources that I now have access to through Vegas Stronger, I have secured free housing for medically fragile individuals. I am getting healthier every day, and I know longer have to fear how I’m going to get my next meal, where I’m going to sleep, and whether or not I am safe.
While I don’t currently have a job, I do volunteer at Vegas Stronger in the Clothing Closet, where I organize and do inventory for this vital resource to Vegas Stronger clients and those experiencing homelessness in the Valley. I take so much pride in my work and am thankful that I can begin to give back in this way. In the short-term, I am continuing my mental health journey. I am taking classes online, thanks to a local healthcare agency that provided me with a computer. And I will continue to volunteer working in the clothing closet. In the long-term, I would love to write a book and maybe even teach others who are older how to use computers. In my previous career, I taught salespeople and dealerships how to streamline profitability, I also sold finance services of the dealerships to banks. While I know it’s going to be difficult to find work with a felony on my record, I am not giving up. I know that business owners and managers out there understand the diseases of addiction and offer second chances to those who deserve them, and I’m excited for future opportunities!

Thank you, Vegas Stronger and all of the people out there working to keep the unhoused safe and aid them in their recovery and reintegration back into society!

Åsa

Helms Helps Foundation Challenge

Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Åsa, and I am a graduate of Vegas Stronger, having the honor of walking in the graduation ceremony on December 7, 2023. I’d like to share my story with you, so you will understand that the people Vegas Stronger helps are real.

Let’s start at the beginning; my childhood. I was born in Montreal, and I lived in Toronto, later moving to New York in 1980. I started school in first grade there. Because I spoke French, Swedish, and English and had a unique name, kids teased me. I also had learning disabilities that were not diagnosed until much later which made it hard for me to keep up with the other kids. Growing up, I traveled back and forth between Sweden and the U.S., attending school in both locations. I found my safe place in music and art (dancing, acting, modeling) and participating in the orchestra. I didn’t spend much time with kids my age and didn’t have many friends, because I was different and they had labeled me as different.

When I was 12, I went to France as an exchange student and while I was there, I was raped by a high-ranking diplomat who was supposed to be a figure of trust and safety. After that, I changed dramatically because I didn’t find the help I needed because people didn’t believe that what I said happened. So, I internalized it. At this point, my self-esteem evaporated, I no longer believed in myself, and all of the bullying I had as a child became more prominent; things just got worse and worse until I found myself hanging out with the wrong people and turned to drinking alcohol as an escape from the pain.

Because of the incident in France, we moved to Sweden, but then because of my behavior change, we moved back to New York where I started high school. I did fairly well in high school and tried to do all the right things. And then when I was 16, I began dating a man who was 28. My parents had no idea, it was a secret that I kept from everyone. They all thought I was doing well, I had a part-time job and put forth a good front. But in reality, I was going to bars underage, and I was dating a man far too old for me, but I felt accepted, mature, and loved. I went on to complete high school and vocational school for culinary arts.

After graduation, I went back to Sweden and was raped once again, but this time by the one person I thought was my best friend – they call it date rape today. I was too ashamed to say anything and once again turned to alcohol to hide my pain and my addiction to men.

You see, I turned to both because that is where I found acceptance and a way to numb the pain. I didn’t know who I was, or how to deal with anything and I realize now that I knew nothing about myself, so anyone who paid me a compliment, I would bend over backward to please.

When I turned 19, I had an abortion, and then at 20, I had my daughter after I met another man that I lived with. For a while, I had a house with a white picket fence, a dog, and a family. But it didn’t last. This is where another horror story begins. My partner was great in the beginning, I felt so loved and perfect. But over time that changed and he became overly jealous, and abusive, both financially and physically towards not only me but also my dog and daughter. He kidnapped my daughter, killed my dog and my daughter’s horse, and many other terrible things that I won’t share because they are just too hard to talk about.

My parents saw what was happening and had me come back to the States and I eventually stayed after trips back and forth, as things continued to erode in my relationship. Most people didn’t know what was going on, I was embarrassed and people blamed me for things not working out.

Later, I met another man and had another child, another daughter whom I love to death, but who I haven’t now seen in 12 years because I walked out thinking they would be better off without me. I had postpartum depression and other issues that I didn’t know I had at the time.

After that, I chose to come to Las Vegas because I wanted to be a light in the dark. I had aspirations of helping other people like me, but I didn’t know how because I hadn’t yet found help for myself. Instead, I ended up homeless, a product of my environment, was victimized, in and out of jail due to not being able to pay child support and I turned to drugs, crack cocaine, and meth in addition to alcohol.

After a lifetime in denial, I finally realized that I needed help. There was a very visible and profound shift within me. Once I received treatment, I finally started to understand why I was the way that I was all these years. I also realized that there is a difference between treatment and recovery. You have to treat yourself to get into recovery. By that I mean, you have to allow yourself to have little rewards along the way to continue encouraging yourself to keep going and stay committed.

What I want you to realize is that there was a point where there was a shift, a very visible and profound shift within me. I finally received the answers to the questions I had about myself and why I was doing what I was doing. I couldn’t defend what I was doing and I thought to myself, then why am I doing this to myself?

If you want to get to know me better, stop by Vegas Stronger! Even though I am a graduate of the Intensive Outpatient Program, I am now a member of the Vegas Stronger Alumni and am here most days. I am currently waiting for my birth certificate to arrive from Canada, and am volunteering in the gym and other areas of the organization helping however I can, and telling my story to you is just one way I want to give back to this amazing organization and people who help me through recovery.

It is my hope that I will someday join the team here as an employee of Vegas Stronger because I believe in the amazing work taking place here, and the angels who make it all happen.

I want you to know that the people Vegas Stronger helps are real and just like anyone else. I am no longer afraid to be who I am, I love myself and understand that loving myself means taking care of myself – body, soul, and mind. Vegas Stronger helped me to understand this.

Nea Tarry

Finding Strength and Recovery Through Peer Support at Vegas Stronger

My name is Nea Tarry, and I want to share my journey from struggle to recovery, thanks to Vegas Stronger. This isn’t just a story about overcoming addiction; it’s about finding hope, family, and purpose.

I found Vegas Stronger through the LIMA program. At the time, I was facing significant domestic troubles. An officer who visited my home referred me to LIMA, and from there, I was connected to Vegas Stronger. I was battling addiction to opioids and methamphetamines and had hit rock bottom—living in an abandoned house that had once been my family home. I wasn’t ready to leave, but something had to change.

One day, while I was desperate and hungry, a woman delivering pizza crossed my path. She turned out to be a homeless advocate and gave me her card and also directed me to Vegas Stronger. Although it took time, her kindness stayed with me. It wasn’t until the second person encouraged me to seek help that I was ready to listen. That’s when my real journey began.

I entered detox and moved through various stages of medical attention and residential treatment before landing at Vegas Stronger for outpatient care. Here, I finally submitted to the process of recovery. I admitted I had a problem, and for the first time, I was ready to do something different. My children were on the line. My dad had taken them, and I knew I needed to change but didn’t know how.

Vegas Stronger showed me love and acceptance, no matter where I had been. The support was holistic, with doctors on-site and dedicated professionals like Shawnee, who provided one-on-one sessions that were instrumental in addressing all my issues. The family-oriented environment made me feel included and supported. They always invited me to events and encouraged me to give back, teaching me that helping others is a powerful way to maintain sobriety.

Peer support was a critical element of my recovery. It’s like having a brother or sister who’s walked the same road. I could talk to them, call them, and shared both emotional and spiritual connections. When I struggled or cried, they were there, sitting with me until I felt whole again. Whether I needed help finding a job or overcoming obstacles, they looked out for me and made me feel cared for.

Vegas Stronger offers everything someone in a vulnerable state needs: food, clothing, medical support, bus passes—the essentials to get back on your feet. But more importantly, they provide unwavering support. If you’re ready to change your life, Vegas Stronger is here, waiting for you.

Today, I’m excited about being an example for others. I’ve come a long way from being broken and desperate for sobriety. I’m now on the other side, proving that change is possible. Life isn’t easy—even sober, it’s a daily fight. But I’ve regained so much: my children, my self-worth, and a sense of purpose.

My kids are back in my life, and although the road ahead is still challenging, I’m committed to being there for them in every way I wasn’t before. Sobriety doesn’t come with a red carpet; it requires effort, meetings, and selflessness. But the rewards are worth it.

If you’re struggling, know this: You can do it. Vegas Stronger has the resources and the support to help you. But you have to be ready to fight for what you want. It’s not just about getting sober; it’s about staying sober and giving back to others. That’s how you find strength, hope, and a new life.

Thank you, Vegas Stronger, for helping me turn my life around. I’ll never go back to what I was—mentally, spiritually, or financially. I’m living proof that recovery is possible.

Alumni Rob Kennedy

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How to Get Help Today

You don’t have to face addiction or homelessness alone. Vegas Stronger is here to help. Whether you need immediate support, are looking for treatment options, or want to help a loved one, we are ready to assist.