Resident Spotlight

Sonia moved into Renaissance Apartments around 2015 after getting treatment for her drug addiction. She became the first female to work in TRC’s janitorial training program. She took part in every personal development opportunity she could to add to her resume so she could secure steady employment. “The program, it has a lot to offer if you want to take advantage of it, and that’s what I did” she said.

Although she loved cleaning, her real passion is working with seniors. She got her background expunged and now has a part-time job in home health care.

This September, Sonia moved out into a one-bedroom apartment and has been clean for 13 years. She now lives in the same building as her daughter, daughter-in-law, and four of her grandkids.

Sonia’s daughter came with for her interview and shared her thoughts on the changes over the last 10-15 years. “I feel like she changed a lot over the years... Our relationship got stronger and better… When she first got here, she was she was more focused on trying to find herself and being closer to God and as time went on, we started working on us. ”

Sonia added, “We never really had a mother-daughter relationship because of my addiction… When I moved [into Renaissance Apartments], that’s when I feel like we started to kind of connect… I know there was some bitterness there, some doubts there, about me trying to come in and take up ‘mom’ duties and do the ‘mom’ things when we actually had to learn one another. We’re getting there, slowly but surely we’re getting there. I’ve learned that I have to allow her to be her, to express her feelings, to let her vent, to do and say what she needs to say to me. For me to take into consideration, I can’t just jump in and try to be ‘mom.’ I want to do it so bad but I have to let God allow us to move at his pace, not ours, not mine. It’s a process and I can honestly say it’s getting better.”