Dina wasn’t living on the streets, desperate for a meal. She came to the Mission seeking a safe space to get clean.

“I wanted to quit drinking, but I couldn’t do it where I was living,” she said. “I came to the Mission to get sober and that’s what I did.”

Dina had been in a series of unhealthy relationships, living in environments that made recovery seem impossible.

“I was trying to change my life but I couldn’t do it there,” she said.

At the Mission, Dina was proactive about her sobriety. She cleaned the shelter for Work Engagement and joined the new Intensive Outpatient Program for addiction recovery.

“I came in here after all those years of drinking and found a program that works,” she said. “I could never afford to get this kind of therapy anywhere else.”

Dina graduated the program August 20th — a significant milestone on her recovery journey.

“I don’t want to stop growing,” she said. “I hope that I make myself better so people see the difference and want to do the same for themselves.”