September 2025 Newsletter

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Healthy Companionship

Child abuse set in motion a troubled life for Suzanne. Broken parental trust led to bad teenage relationships. It caused her to have low self-esteem, struggle with confidence, blame herself, be submissive, be excessively tolerant, have a lack of motivation, have emotional dependence, and socially isolate.

She said, “I had an attraction to abusive men because of a want to be loved and I thought I could change them to love me as I should be loved.” As a result, her adult relationships were never healthy.

Suzanne’s condition developed into a disabling mental illness. She had worked enough by that time to qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). It was enough to support herself and children.

She stayed busy volunteering to be the caregiver for her mother and sister. Then in a short period of time, they both passed away leaving a large void in Suzanne’s life. When her last child moved out, Suzanne was left alone. Her emotional state was so fragile that she turned to heavy drinking. She just could not manage on her own any longer.

That is when Suzanne’s niece recommended Samaritan Inn. She said, “My niece had stayed here previously. She knew this was a safe and good place for me, and she was so right. I love how it started out because there is chapel every night, and it led me to find God again. I am reading my Bible, going to church again, and to Celebrate Recovery meetings. Now, I’m four months sober. I feel awesome.”

She joined our Program as a Supervisor. She said, “I love it. It helped me set boundaries, prioritize things. Before, I really didn’t care about people because it was like what could they do for me. Now, it’s what can I do for you. I’ve grown.”

“I don’t trust myself yet,” Suzanne said regarding independent living. She is on a waiting list to get into our Samaritan Inn Transitional Housing Program. She said, “I want to continue in the Program Supervisor’s position (even after moving into our housing program) to keep busy. If I got bored, it would be real easy to fall back.”

“It’s really easy now to make friends here. People seem to like me. I’m not isolated. I won’t need to take a bus from transitional housing to meet with friends, because I’ll just be next-door.” She has a good rental history, credit score, and income, making it possible for her to move back out on her own. But she knows that her need right now is accountability to stay sober and get stronger. Independent living is not her immediate goal.

Suzanne rightly wants to continue in developing her relationship with the Lord and new friends. There is healthy companionship right here.