After losing both of her parents in 2023, grief and instability led Samantha to housing loss, substance use, and a misdemeanor conviction — her first and only one. For months, she lived in a tent hidden in the woods behind a Walmart.  “I felt hopeless,” she said. “But I wasn’t going to give up.”

 

That determination brought her to Community Partners in Action’s Waterbury Reentry Welcome Center. Staff helped her regain her driver’s license, apply for jobs, access clothing and basic needs, and stay on track with probation. “They gave me hope,” Sam said. “They were my steppingstones.”

 

In July 2024, Samantha committed to sobriety. By September, she was referred to CPA’s Waterbury Alternatives in the Community (AIC) program, where she found accountability and encouragement. With support from AIC staff and a 211 referral, she secured her own apartment in December 2024.

 

“Having a roof over my head — it feels like peace,” she said.

 

Today, Samantha is sober, stably housed, and working regular shifts in a restaurant and as a pool lifeguard, a return to a childhood passion. She hopes to finish her nursing degree at Naugatuck Valley Community College and continues to stay connected with AIC to maintain her progress.

 

“I’m not lost anymore,” Sam said. Her journey shows what’s possible when determination meets the support of reentry services that help people rebuild their lives.