At 68, He Got His First Apartment

By Sheila Helgerson   He was 68 years old when he got his first apartment. Not his first nice apartment. Not his first apartment after a setback. His first apartment—ever. For most of his life, he moved between shelters, temporary rooms, the streets, and...

Progress Isn’t Always Loud

By Sheila Helgerson   Progress isn’t always loud. Sometimes it looks like routine, reliability, and simply showing up every day. Sometimes it looks like getting up in the morning, attending appointments, reconnecting with family, or beginning to believe that life...

What Balance Has Really Meant This Year

By Sheila Helgerson When I chose balance as our word of the year for 2025, I imagined something calm and intentional. A steady rhythm. Thoughtful choices. Maybe even a little peace. Recently, at a dinner with donors, I admitted that we hadn’t actually talked about...

SEVEN YEARS OF SOBRIETY AND HAPPINESS

On New Year’s Eve, R.B. celebrated seven years of sobriety and shared his story during a Narcotics Anonymous meeting.  Here is an excerpt from his talk. Seven years ago, I was living in an abandominium (a fancy word for a vacant house). My biggest worry was that I...