For 20 years, Dove Recovery House for Women has specialized in transforming and saving lives. To celebrate this milestone, we are sharing inspirational stories of 20 Dove House alumnae. We will be releasing Dove stories each week to celebrate the 20 years of Dove House.
Join us in celebrating 20 years of Dove House and 20 years of transforming lives. Today, you can transform the lives of our Doves through a gift today.
13 years ago, Rita had been on the road for seven days, close to death, when her daughter took her to the hospital for help. After stabilizing her health condition, the doctor returned to Rita with one phone number—it was for Dove Recovery House.
When Rita first came to Dove House, she only had the clothes on her back. But at Dove House, she had meals and a safe, sober home at no cost. As she attended recovery programming and meetings with her case manager, she began to see the good within herself. She learned she was more than her substance use disorder; she learned she was worthy of healing and love.
Before Dove House, Rita did not think she would make it to age 50. Today, at age 62, Rita stands firm with thirteen years of sobriety, a proud grandmother actively involved in her family’s lives. For the past eleven years, Rita has worked as the nightshift Resident Advocate at Dove House, helping other women traveling their road to recovery. Dove House saved Rita’s life, and today Rita pays it forward by saving the lives of other Doves.
Lauren is 33 years old and has been sober 2.5 years. Lauren currently works as the supervisor for the Behavioral Health Technicians at Evolve Indy.
Before Lauren came to Dove House, she states that she was completely broken and a shell of a person. Lauren experienced homelessness and needed drugs to get through each day. Lauren heard of Dove House through Reuben Engagement Center, where she was detoxing. Lauren had no insurance, no money, and no means to pay for treatment—and it was at Dove House that Lauren knew she could get the treatment she needed free of charge.
After waiting 62 days, Lauren finally got the call that a bed was available and she could move into Dove House. While Lauren originally had no intentions of staying past the 90-day commitment, once she walked through those doors, everything changed. “The staff and residents wrapped me up in love and acceptance. They did not see me as Lauren the drug addict, but rather Lauren who was sick and in desperate need of help.”
Before Lauren knew it, she had a good job, bought a car, and even was able to start putting together a plan to move out of Dove House and rent a house. On her one year sober date in June 2019, she moved out of Dove House into a house that she still lives in now.
To Lauren, Dove House is the “only place women in Indiana can come to get help that otherwise would never get the opportunity. A donation to Dove House allows women like me who have no options to get the treatment we need and deserve. In the next 20 years, I would love to see Dove House expand and to have multiple Dove Houses around Indianapolis—I think every woman in recovery needs a Dove experience.”
Tracy is 34 years old and has 3 children. Tracy has been sober for 21 months and works for Goodwill Industries.
Before Dove House, Tracy admits her addiction came before anything else; it was all-consuming. Tracy was tired of living an unmanageable life—and she wanted to regain the custody of her youngest daughter—so she knew that Dove House would empower her to regain control.
After months of focusing on her sobriety and working on her goals, Tracy now lives in one of Dove House’s high-efficiency apartments with her youngest daughter, Lilly, and has full custody. “I became a full-time mom, part-time employee, and most of all, I became successful at recovery through Dove House.”
Tracy emphasized the importance of the love, kindness, compassion, and intense care that she received to help her manage her substance use disorder. Tracy’s favorite thing about Dove House is the sisterhood—and that her daughter has 40+ aunts! A gift to Dove House, according to Tracy, is “graciously giving hope to the beautifully broken.”
Bryce is 24 years old and has been sober for more than 3 years. She is the mother of a 2-year-old, Ezra, and currently works as a sales rep for an industrial equipment supplier.
Before Dove House, Bryce was living in cars, hotels, and jumping from place to place. In active addiction, Bryce overdosed 3 times and received 3 legal cases, which involved her with probation in Hendricks County and Marion County. Bryce knew she needed help, so her probation officer had Bryce taken to Reuben Engagement Center to detox which led to her being admitted into Dove House.
While at Dove House, Bryce’s greatest lesson learned was becoming the woman she wanted to be and believing in herself for the first time in her entire life. Bryce also was pregnant and had her baby while living at Dove House, so it was at Dove House she learned to become a mother too. “I not only learned how to take care of myself, I had 40+ women teaching me how to be a mother.”
According to Bryce, “Dove House is the BEST recovery residence for women in Indiana. It offers a program that no other places even compare to, namely the trauma therapy, the IOP, and the foundation of sisterhood and family. A gift to Dove House helps women live out dreams they never thought were possible. It helps them become the mothers that they were meant to be, like I became.”
Trina is 52 years old and has been sober for more than 8 years. Trina works at BSN SPORTS, as well as works as a Resident Advocate at Dove House. She is a mother of 3 and a grandmother of 9! Before Dove House, Trina felt lost in life. She couldn’t remember what a “normal” life was like; she only focused on using drugs. But she hoped for change and found that as she walked through the doors of Dove House.
According to Trina, Dove House gave her hope and tools to start her life anew without drugs. She thanks the staff for giving her love, discipline, guidelines, and teaching her to be responsible, dependable, and reliable. She feels unconditional love at Dove House, and for that she remains forever humble and grateful. “Dove House isn’t just any recovery house—it is family and it will always be my safe place, my home.”
Trina notes that it has been blessing after blessing since she has left Dove House as a residential client. She can’t even imagine life without Dove House—without it, she admits that she would probably be in prison or dead if she hadn’t had a bed back in 2012. She hopes Dove House continues providing programming, therapy, food, clothing, and housing to the women who come through the doors of Dove House. To Trina, the greatest gift Dove House provides is unconditional love— which allows women to feel loved until they can learn to love themselves.
Samantha is 34 and has been sober for 2.5 years. Samantha works as a team lead for Goodwill and has a 14-year-old son. Samantha is also recently engaged to her fiancé!
Prior to Dove House, Samantha struggled with meth addiction. She became homeless due to her substance use disorder and ended up in jail for 6 months related to her substance use. During her time in jail, Samantha knew that the best place for her to go to get sober and healthy was at Dove House.
Samantha’s greatest lesson learned at Dove House was learning how to handle life situations. Additionally, she learned how to lover herself and how to set healthy boundaries. Samantha’s favorite things about Dove House include sisterhood, accountability, unity, and home.
Samantha hopes that Dove House continues to empower women and help them recover. With a gift to Dove House, Samantha says, “You can gift the same transformation that I went through to even more women in need.”
Ashley is 31 years old and is the mother of a 12-year-old daughter. Ashley will be sober for 2 years come the end of January!
According to Ashley, life before Dove House was chaotic. She had been in and out of jail due to her substance use—she couldn’t maintain a steady job or a stable place to live. The last time she was in jail, she was referred to Dove House.
When Ashley came to Dove House, she was eager to take in all of the tools that Dove House had to offer. Her favorite thing about Dove House is the fact that she learned how to slow down and to evaluate her choices before making them. Ashley loves being sober because she can remember things—and she can live and enjoy her life to the fullest. She has a job, a car, and a place to live. Her daughter is back in her life.
To Ashley, a donation to Dove House means “someone cares enough about people like me to help them take care of them until they can get back on their feet. So many women are suffering that deserve Dove House, and you offer them the chance at life.”
“This place … it works. They refused to quit. They refused to give up on me. I never experienced love like that.” Audrey’s transformation at Dove House is astounding. Before Dove House, Audrey only felt pain. With Dove House, she knows that she doesn’t have to manage her substance use disorder alone.
Hayley is 28 years old and has been sober for more than 3 years. Hayley lives in Speedway with her wife Rachel (also a former Dove!) and their 2 German Shepherds.
Before Hayley came to Dove House, she remembers life being meaningless and dull. She started using alcohol at age 12, but quickly that turned into pills and anything else she could try. Her senior year of high school, Hayley’s stepmom found out that she identified as lesbian. Hayley ended up getting kicked out of the house, right before she was about to graduate high school. Hayley’s alcohol and substance use escalated.
Hayley went to her first treatment center at age 19 but left after 11 short days due to insurance running out. Hayley ended up trying heroin for the first time shortly after treatment and then used daily, oftentimes with partners within toxic relationships. Hayley barely survived several overdoses and ended up being dependent on an oxygen tank during active addiction. Hayley needed help—and that led her to Dove House when she was 25.
According to Hayley, she needed the structured environment Dove House provides so she could be learn how to “run her own life.” Hayley learned patience, self-care, self-love, and, most importantly to her, that she didn’t need a romantic relationship to feel whole. Rather, Hayley recognizes that she had 30+ women that held her accountable and helped her love herself to get to that point. To Hayley, she believes that a gift to Dove House is the gift of not only sobriety and life for women, but a lifelong gift of healthy love.
Meranda is 30 years old and is 5½ years sober thanks to Dove House. Today, she works as an assistant manager at a chiropractic office and is working on buying her first home.
Before Dove House, Meranda’s life was miserable. She had been sleeping in her car and couchsurfing, and she had pushed everyone out of her life that had truly cared her. She ultimately ended up in jail. After leaving jail, she thought that enrolling in treatment would help her with her criminal charges; however, after arriving to Dove House, she knew that this place would change and save her life.
Between case management, therapy, meetings, and classes, Meranda was able to find herself again. While some days Meranda struggled fighting her substance use disorder, her case manager always pushed her to go above and beyond. Through her determination, Meranda met her goals and even graduated college as valedictorian!
Meranda’s favorite thing about Dove House is that no matter what is happening in her life, she can always come home and be around people that support and understand her. To Meranda, a donation to Dove House means you are giving life to women who are lost. You are gifting hope to women who feel hopeless.
Meet our Dove, Paula. Paula is 51 years old and has five children. She has been sober for more than 2.5 years. Paula has graduated from Second Helpings’ culinary training program and now serves as the kitchen manager at Dove House.
Paula said that life was unmanageable when she was in active addiction. She honestly thought she would die from an overdose—but when she became arrested and involved in Hancock County’s Heroin Protocol program, she was referred to Dove House.
Paula’s favorite things about Dove House are the sisterhood and the magnitude of love. According to Paula, “The way people love you at Dove House—I’ve never been loved like that before!” Her favorite thing about Dove House is the staff and the relationships she has formed with them.
Because of Dove House, Paula feels that “for the first time in my life, I have a purpose. I can now be the mom and grandma my family deserves!” In fact, Paula said, “The Dove House SAVED my life. If I would have found Dove House 20 years ago, I’d have 22.5 years sober!”
To Paula, the importance of a gift to Dove House allows all of the clients to have their basic needs met so they can focus on their recovery. She hopes to see Dove House continue to expand and grow so that more women in need can receive the services and love Dove House has to offer.
Amber is 34 and has been sober for more than 7 years. She is a mother of a 14-year-old boy and works as a peer recovery case manager at a local community mental health provider.
According to Amber, life before Dove House was dark and hopeless. Amber lived in various abandoned houses during her active addiction and ended up accumulating multiple felony charges. Right before she entered Dove House in 2013, Amber overdosed and almost died—3 doses of Narcan and 21 days later, Amber found her way to Dove House through Marion County Drug Treatment Court.
Amber’s favorite thing about Dove House is our Operations Director, Celli. Amber says Celli was the first treatment provider she met that deeply cared and that Celli would never give up on her. Dove House also taught Amber how to use her voice, how to fight for her life, and most importantly how to forgive herself. In short, “Dove House taught me that I am worth it, and that my life is worth living.”
After Dove House, Amber pursued college, became a mother again, found love and is in a healthy marriage, and now serves other people in recovery through her career. Amber says that Dove House helped her transform into the woman she once only dreamed of being. With a donation to Dove House, Amber says that you can help this transformation process for hundreds of women to come.
Meet our Dove, Felicia. Felicia is 31 and has been sober for more than 2 years. Felicia works at 2 local nonprofits.
Before Dove House, Felicia struggled with heroin use for nearly 10 years. Felicia said, “I had no idea how to live life, cope, or form any sort of healthy relationship with another person. I was totally lost and had zero self-esteem or hope.” Felicia reached out to Dove House in fear and desperation because she no longer wanted to keep suffering. While at the time Felicia said she didn’t know how to live life without drugs, she knew Dove House would provide her help and would teach her the tools to live a sober life.
According to Felicia, Dove House changed her life by planting seeds: “Dove House planted hope in me for the very first time and showed me unconditional love.” Felicia says she will be forever grateful for Dove House, including providing accountability and for always speaking “hard truths” to her.
To Felicia, a financial gift to Dove House provides women and families the chance at life. “Chains are broken at Dove House and whole families recover from the bondage of addiction and unhealthy living patterns. While recovery is a lifetime journey, it starts with small investments and a whole tribe of people to help support the individual and organization as a whole.”
According to Christina, “Life before Dove House was chaotic.” But it was at Dove House that Christina was able to sit still, learn the tools to focus on her recovery, and become healthy again. Dove House provided her a safe, sober home free of charge.
“You don’t have to come in and be able to pay. I don’t know anybody in addiction who has the means to come in off the street and out of addiction to pay.”
Christina is a peer recovery specialist and helps other people work toward their recovery. She has mended relationships with her family and her son, has forged dozens of new friendships through the Dove House sisterhood, and has found peace in place of the chaos.
Starla is a 46-year-old mother of two and has been sober for almost 1.5 years. Before Dove House, Starla was living in her car, parking it at a friend’s alley or driveway. Even though she had her husband and children, her relationships with them had been tarnished due to her substance use disorder. She was miserable and knew she wanted to stop using drugs but wasn’t sure how to do so. Starla felt so alone.
When Starla first arrived at Dove House, she had to sit still for 30 days, which allowed her to focus on herself. She also was able to go to the doctor and dentist for the first time in years. As she stayed at Dove House, she learned new tools to stay sober, received 1-on-1 case management, and engaged with trauma therapy. Starla worked on regaining her driver’s license and now has rebought a car and her license is reinstated.
Through Dove House, “alone” is the exact opposite of how Starla feels now. Today, Starla has rebuilt her relationship with her children and her husband. Further, Starla has formed so many positive and healthy relationships through Dove House. “I feel loved and welcomed. I will never be alone again, and I will never have to use again.”
To Starla, a gift to Dove House grants women lifesaving gifts of connection and community. Starla’s hope for Dove House is that they will be able to house more than 40 women in the future.
Jill is a 49-year-old mother of 2 with more than 3 years of sobriety. Today, Jill has a wonderful relationship with her children, parents, and ex-husband. Jill works as a full-time peer support specialist for inmates at Boone County Jail; she also continues her work with them when they are released. Her goal with every client is to make sure that they have a strong recovery network and a secure and safe place to go when they are released, the same things Jill found at Dove House.
Before Dove House, Jill struggled with alcohol. She was homeless and her life was completely out of control. She had spent 25 years trying to figure out how to stay sober. In coming to Dove House, Jill was able to find home at Dove House to learn how to be sober and change her life.
Jill loves that everyone has their own program at Dove House—it’s not a cookie cutter recovery model. Each client has their own peer recovery case manager who monitors progress and challenges. She also loved working with a trauma therapist and was able to process emotions for the first time in her life. At Dove House, Jill learned how to stop listening to her addiction, which she notes is the greatest lesson she learned at Dove House.
Jill hopes for a future where there is at least one Dove House in every county in Indiana. She knows that the numbers would be different—a lower number of incarcerations, mental health institutionalizations, overdoses, and deaths.
Charity is 43 and has been sober since February 2018. Charity now works for a local nonprofit community center, helping build up the local community through service as well as conducts nonviolence trainings to strengthen the community in which she lives.
Life before Dove House was a struggle for Charity. She was in and out of jail, being arrested for public intoxication or DUI. She had to jump from couch to couch because she didn’t have a stable place to live. Charity needed help desperately—which led her to Dove House’s doors 2 years ago.
While at Dove House, Charity appreciated the fact that she still could connect with her family, as well as maintain visits with them after her initial 30-day still period. At Dove House, Charity was shown acceptance; through Dove House, “I learned how to accept and live life on life’s terms.” Charity learned how to accept herself.
To Charity, the importance of giving to Dove House is that it allows women the chance to work on their recovery without having to find a way to pay. A gift to Dove House grants women the chance to find acceptance, find sobriety, and believe in themselves, the way Charity is able to thrive in life now.
Jillian is 30 years old, a mom, and grew up on the east side of Indianapolis. Jillian now works at a local nonprofit as an office manager. Jillian also happens to be a person in recovery. While using drugs, Jillian lost her connection with her son. Through Dove House, she was able to move forward in recovery and receive the gift of her son.
