Keeping Families Together

Recognizing the value of helping families in recovery, Cazenovia Recovery offers supportive living apartments to parents in recovery with children.

Newly available in Erie County are five apartments that can accommodate seven children among them. Two apartments in Niagara County have a total of three children’s places.

This set-up allows parents to keep youngsters close, each benefiting as the adults transition to independence with continuing support from Cazenovia Recovery. To help with this, the agency also provides rent assistance.

Pearl and her three-year-old son, Jacob, enjoy living in a South Buffalo apartment while her recovery progresses. “I’m changing my life completely and getting back on track,” Pearl said. She has been part of the agency’s Supportive Living program since June 1. Pearl also regularly sees her 15-year-old son who lives in Attica.

“When I got here, I wasn’t working and was not able to live on my own,” she said. “This program gave me a place to stay to transition into a job and slowly build up.” She has been sober for one year and is soon graduating from Drug Court.

Today, she is an accounting assistant at an area technology company. Her responsibilities have expanded to include hiring new employees. Pearl, who has an associate’s degree from Erie Community College, found that Cazenovia Recovery helped her build confidence to seek employment.

“I put in my resume, got a call for an interview the next day and was hired almost immediately,” she said. “I have a good resume.”

A typical workday begins by dropping Jacob off at a day care center near the apartment. When she returns, she gets to spend precious time with her son. Pearl noted that other women in recovery who reside in the same building are especially kind to Jacob. “Everybody loves him and I think he loves it here,” she said. “All of us are really focused on our recovery. If I can’t reach my sponsor, I have people I can talk to here.”

Pearl paid tribute to her sister’s help, to the memory of her father as a role model for strength in adversity, and to faith in God as inspirations. She is thankful for her Cazenovia Recovery counselor and program guidance. She said: “It helps my self-worth. It lets me know I can do this.”