“If not for MSC, I could not have gotten my degrees, and could not be as employable as I am today,” says Shelly.

Shelly has lived at MSC’s Titusville for the last six years. When she first moved in, she was newly sober after ten years of battling addiction and finishing her fourth stint in rehab. She needed just the type of support that Titusville provides to women trying to stay sober and rebuild their lives.

Shelly started college soon after moving into Titusville. She thought about counseling others that were
trying to overcome addiction, but didn’t want to become that stereotypical addict turned counselor. She looked at her past which included not only addiction, but criminal felonies related to her addiction for buying and selling drugs, and decided that a business degree may be the best fit for her skills.
It turns out that Shelly’s best fit actually was helping people just like her. She had earned an Associates in Arts degree at Green River, and did so with
Presidential honors. She had graduated from the Titusville program and had moved into one of MSC’s affordable housing apartments at Titusville, where she had her own space but could still access the support system of Titusville.

However, Shelly wasn’t satisfied. She wanted more, she wanted to help people. She started taking classes at the Central Washington University satellite campus at Highline College and earned her Bachelor of Science, graduating with a 4.0 GPA. While she was in school she completed several
internships, including one at Valley Cities this past year. She just recently joined the Valley Cities team as a co-occurring disorder counselor and will be helping many others on the journey to sobriety and stability. She will soon be moving out of Titusville to her first home that she just purchased. “School helped me focus, helped me stay clean and sober. But, I couldn’t have done it without a place like Titusville,” shares Shelly.

Women in recovery from drug and/or alcohol addiction, who are homeless, and who cannot afford market rate rent can live in a supportive, communal environment as part of MSC’s Titusville Program. Women live in an historic downtown Kent building, which offers dormitory-style housing, with individual bedrooms and common kitchen, bathroom, and living room areas. Up to 15 women live here at one time and are offered case management and support to help them achieve their goals.

You may recognize Shelly’s story as she was featured previously in an MSC publication shortly after she had received her AA. We are happy to provide this update on her additional accomplishments.