Kiara’s Story of Hope
Meet Kiara, a 26-year-old studying to be a cosmetologist and alumna of our Women with Children program. On October 28, Kiara celebrated the milestone of being seven months clean. This is all thanks to her six months at Samaritan Inns. But it was by no means an easy journey.
When Kiara came to Samaritan Inns, she was ready to give up. She had recently lost her brother to a fatal accident. Not soon after that, Kiara lost a child from an ectopic pregnancy. The year was hard on Kiara, but she was even harder on herself. This is when she became dependent on drugs as a means of comfort and escape.
While grieving the losses in her family, Kiara stopped caring about life. Amidst a deep depression, she stopped leaving the house. She quit her job, sold her car, and wanted a way out.
Kiara’s brush with suicide started with a Google search. She was tired of living a life that wasn’t true to her values, so she looked for a way to end it online. The first thing that popped up on her search results was the number for a suicide hotline. “I felt like God was talking to me at that moment,” Kiara explained. She didn’t have to take her life; there was another route. Within two hours, a representative came to Kiara’s home and connected her with therapy resources.
After a few months went by, Kiara realized she needed more support, but she had a five-year-old daughter to take care of. Something needed to change.
That’s when Samaritan Inns’ Women with Children program came into the picture. Kiara found a program that would allow her daughter to stay with her while she got help, the only program of its kind in Washington, DC.
Taking that first step towards recovery was celebrated as Kiara and her daughter were welcomed by the Samaritan Inns team with open arms. “From that day forward, [the team] stuck beside me,” Kiara said. She was now in a safe space to give herself the chance to change.
Having her daughter by her side while she was in the program empowered Kiara to stay. “It gave me more purpose. It gave me another reason not to walk out the door. Every morning when I woke up, I [saw] what I was there for,” Kiara shared. Without the program, her daughter would not have had a place to go.
Samaritan Inns provided Kiara and her daughter with family counseling sessions to help with parenting techniques. This helped Kiara develop a stronger bond with herself and her daughter.
Thanks to Samaritan Inns, Kiara found herself again. “I’m blessed that everything happened the way it did because I really wouldn’t have recognized myself if I did not come to this program,” Kiara explained. She found a place that helped her heal and taught her new ways to love life.
“What would I say to my former self? I forgive you.”
Not soon after starting the program, Kiara got her own apartment. She was encouraged to finish school while in the program and is now on the verge of becoming a licensed cosmetologist. Kiara has future plans to open her own salon, and her future won’t stop there.
“There are people out here who are willing to help you. It could be somebody standing next to you. It could be the person at the store. Everybody has a story to tell, and once you do open up and say you want help, you wouldn’t even imagine the love and support that you’re going to get… Don’t just let time pass because we are here to learn about life.”
Watch the Video
Kiara shares how she found a second chance for her and her daughter at Samaritan Inns.
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