After hard-fought new beginning, mom could use help setting up a home

Dec. 20—Editor's note: Light One Candle is an annual series sponsored by the Mail Tribune that focuses on an individual, group or organization who could use a helping hand during the holiday season. Once that need is filled, donations may be distributed to others in need.

After recurring cycles of homelessness and addiction, a 36-year-old Medford mother is looking forward to a brighter future.

Living in OnTrack housing with her two children, ages 11 and 13, she dreams of one day buying a home and watching her children graduate from high school.

The simple blessing of having a roof over her head is not lost on the woman who fought so hard to have one.

Exposure to binge drinking and episodes of domestic violence at an early age evolved into a life of alcoholism and drug use that began at age 21. A boyfriend who was a methamphetamine dealer prevented the couple from achieving more than brief, periodic stints of sobriety for more than a decade while raising their two children.

Losing custody of the kids multiple times amid domestic violence and drug use in the home, the mother said she reached rock bottom in 2019 when her own mother died, the father of her children went to jail and she also was briefly jailed.

While her initial response was to fall into an extended period of drug use and homelessness, the mother held onto hope she could come back from "rock bottom" and be the mother her children deserved.

In May this year, she completed her second round of residential treatment at OnTrack's Mountain View Recovery Center in Hugo and has been clean and sober for nine months.

Back to living with her two kids — an 11-year-old son and a 13-year-old daughter — the family is excited to be under one roof in OnTrack housing in Medford.

"I had no idea how happy I could be with simply a roof over our head and the company of my children," the mother shared.

"My final relapse was the turning point for me. I knew that if I failed again, I wouldn't survive. I changed literally everything about my life, and it has been working. We are a very happy family."

Having recently changed jobs to ensure a full 40-hour work week, the mother briefly fell behind on payments but is working diligently, caseworkers said, to provide for her little family.

Long term, she hopes to buy a house and be "fully present" at her children's high school graduations.

With the holidays coming, money for gifts and household necessities is extremely tight.

The 13-year-old boy loves riding bikes and scooters, playing video games and recently started weight training after school. He wears size XL in clothing and would love a gift card to Target or Ross Dress-for-Less.

The 11-year-old girl is very creative and loves to draw, paint and make jewelry. She likes clothes and fashion and has a special interest in the newest Polaroid cameras. Like her brother, she is tall and wears a size large in most clothing.

For the mom, books or self-care items would provide a boost. She loves reading and giving herself home spa treatments with lotions or bath products.

The mother told caseworkers that, for Christmas, she's simply happy to be with her kids.

"Just being with my children and enjoying simple pleasures is beyond wonderful after living on the street," she said.

The family could also use more blankets and pillows, a toaster, baking dishes and casserole dishes to help outfit their apartment.

To help, call Eddie Wallace at OnTrack Rogue Valley at 541-200-2402.

Read this season's Light One Candle stories at mailtribune.com/news/light-one-candle/