Claire came to Legal Aid of WV (LAWV) two years ago through her recovery program at Rea of Hope, a 12 step-based fellowship program for West Virginians struggling with addiction.
“When I first started the program, it was solely because I wanted to get my kids back,” Claire says. Entering Rea of Hope, she no longer had custody of her two children after Child Protective Services (CPS) got involved. “I lost custody. I was extremely tired. I was mentally, physically, emotionally beat down, and I was tired of solely focusing on getting high and my toxic relationships.”
Though she had tried entering treatment before, Claire was determined to make it work this time, at first for her kids, but eventually, for herself, too.
“Once I stayed at Rea for a bit, I noticed these other women were doing great things,” she says. “They were inspiring, and I thought, ‘I want to be like that one day.’ It made me want to do it for myself and the long-run.”
Through Rea of Hope, Claire got a referral to a LAWV Recovery Medical-Legal Partnership attorney, who specifically addresses legal problems for those in recovery. Since 2018, the program has worked with multiple treatment facilities in the state to provide clients with resources that help them re-enter their communities, avoid relapse, and work toward their goals.
Her attorney says her case initially seemed like it could go either way for Claire. Once CPS gets involved in cases, it’s difficult for parents to change their custody situation, and Claire’s ex was not responsive to her requests to see her kids.
“We try to look at the facts and prepare our clients’ expectations,” he explains. “Even getting the facts was a process in this case because I didn’t know what had happened before Claire got into recovery.”
Claire and her attorney did not give up.
Over time, they were able to get visitation set up so she could see her kids and re-establish a relationship with them.
“Building that relationship was hard,” says Claire. “I didn’t know my kids anymore and what they liked or who they were. They didn’t know me. I was learning them again, and I was really nervous. I have young kids, too, and they were able to come to the visits. We all learned together.”
Claire and her ex now share custody of their children, and she says things have gotten easier for everyone involved. They are creating a new normal.
“I think one of the most outstanding parts of this case was everyone involved complimented Claire on the work she did in recovery,” her attorney says. “The CPS prosecutor, the guardian ad litem in the case—they all said they were proud of her.”
Because of her time at Rea of Hope, Claire has been able to maintain steady employment at a great job for the past three years, save up enough to buy a house, and repair her family relationships.
“When I came into recovery this last time, I did everything differently than before,” says Claire. “I saved money, and I bought my house on my own. I was able to get a car. To be able to do those things on my own without anybody’s help felt really good.
“The relationship my kids have with each other is just love. Life is good. I’ll be driving to work sometimes, and I’ll feel like, ‘I can’t believe this is my life.’ I came from this person who didn’t have anything to where I am now.”
Kinsley is a happy, smiley baby, and her parents, Andy and Kayla, are both pretty happy these days, too. But their path to where they are now was not exactly traditional.
Andy and Kayla have been married for 14 years and desperately wanted to become parents together, but Kayla has PCOS and has not been able to get pregnant. This was a devastating blow to Kayla, but Andy has a son from a previous marriage, so they felt fortunate to be a family of three.
Last year, Kayla unexpectedly got an offer from one of her relatives: She was pregnant but was not prepared to raise a child. She asked Kayla, “Do you want this baby?”
Kayla and Andy were a little surprised but immediately said yes.
Not long before the due date, Kayla was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. She was determined to be healthy to raise this baby and had her thyroid removed in the summer of 2022.
“Trying to figure out health problems is hard,” says Kayla. “But Kinsley was born in September, and I made sure to be there.”
Not only was Kayla at the hospital for the birth but she got to cut the umbilical cord. Andy and Kayla had names picked out and ready to go—Andy chose the first name, and Kayla chose the middle name.
Unfortunately, CPS (Child Protective Services) stepped in right after Kinsley was born, and she was admitted to the hospital. They didn’t know before the birth, but Kinsley’s mother had been using drugs during her pregnancy.
“I wish she had told me, but I know she was trying to get clean,” says Kayla. “Kinsley was in the hospital for six days before we could take her home. We stayed all the time in the hospital so she didn’t go into state custody.”
After they brought Kinsley home, Kayla and Andy got to work. By November, they had gotten guardianship by themselves, and they were working on adoption when they got a letter from Legal Aid of WV.
Kayla, Kinsley, and Andy with their attorney, David, in 2023.
LAWV Attorney David received a case for Kayla and Andy after Kayla’s sister-in-law submitted an online application for them a few months prior. Because it was an adoption request, it was not marked as a high priority case. David was eventually able to send them a letter about their case and provided his contact information.
“When we got in touch with him, David said we already did the hard part,” says Kayla. “CPS had assigned Kinsley a guardian ad litem who told us we definitely needed an attorney for the adoption. David helped us make sure we got the adoption finalized.”
David adds: “The day we went to Court, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.”
Kinsley is almost a year old now, and she goes to physical therapy and receives services from WV Birth to Three. She has made excellent progress from the tiny baby experiencing withdrawal in her first weeks of life.
“I wouldn’t change anything about Kinsley,” says Kayla. “And I would have done whatever I had to make sure we got her adopted. Working with David was amazing. He was honest and straightforward and stuck by us the whole way.
“I’ve had people ask about my attorney, and I tell them to apply to Legal Aid. I tell them, you might get it. Legal Aid might not be for everyone, but it was for us.”
Please be advised: this story includes accounts of abuse.
“I will never forget the woman on the other end of the phone when I called Legal Aid of WV,” says Joanna, a client who called the LAWV intake hotline to apply for services but was initially turned down because she was not financially eligible. “She asked, ‘Was there abuse involved?’ I got really quiet, and she said, ‘Honey, abuse isn’t always physical.’ And I started crying.”
Joanna is one of many clients who get referrals to LAWV through a community partner, especially in cases with elements of abuse. She had been with her husband for more than 40 years, but at the end of 2021, her relationship was strained and turned violent.
Though she lived a modest life, Joanna was initially told she was not eligible for legal services because of her financial standing. However, because she was also experiencing abuse in her marriage, she was able to get services from the Eastern Panhandle Empowerment Center (EPEC), who also sent a referral form to LAWV to help her with her divorce.
“I think the combination of the Empowerment Center working directly with Legal Aid is such a resource that a lot of women don’t know about,” says Joanna. “The more I thought about the emotional and verbal abuse in my marriage, the more I learned from EPEC. There wasn’t always evidence of physical abuse, and you tend to think, ‘This isn’t as bad as the person who’s sent to the hospital.’ EPEC helped me see the different types of abuse. It was really hard to hear. But I think, together, the Empowerment Center and Legal Aid serve such an amazing purpose in our community.”
After being referred, Joanna worked with an attorney at LAWV, who initially met with her and just listened.
Joanna was struggling with many different types of grief at the time; her parents were both elderly, and her father had been diagnosed with cancer. Joanna wanted to be there for her parents and provide care, but her then-husband was struggling with isolation in retirement during the COVID-19 pandemic. She was also experiencing her own health struggles and recently started taking an expensive medication for her auto-immune disease.
“I was a mess. My attorney sat down with me and helped me navigate what to do next. I was trying to save my marriage,” Joanna explains. She decided not to go through with divorce at the time and tried to repair her relationship. Her case with LAWV was closed, but her attorney told her to call back if anything changed. Since her case closure, Joanna had found a new apartment and both of her parents had passed away within a few weeks of each other. “I’d describe it as the worst years of my life—a lot of loss.
“By January of this year, I realized the marriage wasn’t salvageable and reached back out.”
Because her case had been closed, Joanna had to reach out to EPEC to get another referral, a process she says was “like a well-oiled machine.” Ultimately, she and her attorney decided she would go to Court without in-person representation because her husband did not have an attorney, but together, they filled out all of Joanna’s divorce paperwork. Her attorney answered questions, and they practiced statements and reviewed what could happen in Court.
“I felt very prepared going to Court, even without my attorney there in person,” says Joanna. “She did recommend someone from the Empowerment Center come, and so I had an advocate with me at both of my hearings. I believe their presence spoke volumes. When I was first preparing my statements, I was going to be completely honest, which would have not put [my husband] in the best light. But when I thought about it, I have forgiven him, and having the Empowerment Center there, I didn’t need to go into the details. Their presence made a statement.”
Joanna’s attorney also recommended seeking spousal support; she was initially hesitant but decided to go ahead and seek support, which has provided her with more financial support after moving out of her home. Though her ex-husband now still lives in the home they shared, he has been ordered to provide Joanna with half of its value.
“I don’t feel like I won,” says Joanna. “I don’t feel like anyone won in this situation. There’s our two lives that were victims of circumstance. Yes, I am divorced, and my attorney helped me navigate what the fair split was, but I don’t feel like I won, and I don’t feel like he has the house so he won.”
Now, Joanna is living in a small apartment, paying rent. She is also navigating getting health insurance coverage through the marketplace, with help from a local group. Fortunately, Joanna’s family and friends have stepped up to support her throughout the process, and she feels supported by the availability of help from professional groups, too.
“Our community is equipped with a lot of resources that help people. I’ve never had to depend on services like Legal Aid. I’ve always been able to pay my way, but this was navigating uncharted waters. I wasn’t certain what to do. I don’t know if a lot of people even know about these resources. My attorney wasn’t profiting. The Empowerment Center wasn’t profiting. There was a different level of concern.
“None of us were meant to be self-sufficient. That’s why we have community.”
Amanda and John got married on New Year’s Eve 2022, and they were thrilled to start their new venture as a family.
Both Amanda and John have children from previous relationships, and most of them are grown now, with the exception of Amanda’s twin sons. They both decided they wanted to make their family unit official, with John adopting the boys. Their other children supported the adoption and thought it would be a wonderful opportunity to show the twins just how much they are loved by both of their parents.
“We started exploring how we were going to do the adoption. It was overwhelming, especially the cost to do it with a private attorney,” says John. “My wife kept saying, you need to talk to Legal Aid. She knew they helped veterans, and I am a veteran.”
After reaching out to Legal Aid of West Virginia, John and Amanda were assigned to attorney Barbie Finley, who got straight to work on the process. She guided them through the paperwork and helped explain what would happen at every point in the adoption.
“I felt like Barbie set us up to succeed,” says John. “Everything fell into place. It was like it was meant to be. Everything Barbie she said she’d do, she did. She was very helpful and attentive. I would recommend Legal Aid to anyone.”
In 2022, Matt and Amber had an unexpected conversation that changed their lives. They got a Facebook message from a community member—they knew him but were not close friends—who simply said, “It’s my understanding you have a son with autism. I’d like to help.”
As a result of that Facebook message, Matt and Amber met Rhonda Hayes, a FAST advocate for Legal Aid of West Virginia. Rhonda and other FAST advocates work with school-aged children who have mental and behavioral health diagnoses to ensure their special education needs are met in school. They can also help with some services outside the school setting.
“I had never heard of the FAST program before then,” says Matt. “We spoke with Rhonda at length, and she said she could help us. Well, it turns out she could help up tremendously.”
Matt and Amber’s son, Asher, was diagnosed with autism just before he turned five. He was considered nonverbal all throughout childhood and up to age eight when Rhonda came into the picture. He struggled in school settings; sitting still and focusing were nearly impossible for Asher to do for more than a few minutes.
He stims many times a day; stimming is a repeated behavior like a movement or vocalization that is believed to help people with autism express or calm themselves. Asher’s stimming includes running back and forth and jumping, and his learning was suffering.
“Before we met Rhonda, Asher had an IEP, but it wasn’t meeting his needs,” says Matt. An IEP, or Individualized Education Plan, is a document created to ensure schools have an outline of special education needs for a student. “We also knew there were autism services in West Virginia, but on our own, we hit a dead end. We couldn’t figure out where to go to get services for Asher.”
Rhonda’s first step was improving Asher’s IEP. She already had an established relationship with the special education teachers at his school, so she let them know she was representing Asher and got to work.
As part of this process, Rhonda worked with the school on addressing forms of assistance that would benefit Asher. She secured an aide and set up Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy twice a week for Asher.
ABA therapy focuses on behaviors and how they affect real-life situations, like a school setting. According to his teachers and parents, therapy made a difference in Asher’s behavior from day one. Now, after nine months of therapy, his stimming went from minutes long to seconds, and he can say several 4-5 word phrases.
The permanent aide who works with Asher has also transformed his school days.
“Asher has had aides since kindergarten, but it was not consistent,” Matt explains. “Rhonda helped get a permanent aide hired for the school system, and she is assigned to work with Asher. She essentially goes everywhere with Asher to make sure his needs are met, he is safe, and he is focused on school.”
Beyond education, Asher’s home life has improved. He has tools that help him communicate his needs more, and his relationship with his parents and his 6-year-old little sister are benefiting.
“I feel like he is happier now because he can communicate better, so his interactions with people are better,” says Matt. “Everyone involved with Asher has been nothing but fantastic. From his teachers to his aide to his therapists. When Rhonda came into the picture, things really started to happen.”
Rhonda herself is amazed by Asher’s progress. She speaks with Matt and Amber periodically about how therapy and school are going, and if updates to his services are needed, she will be able to step in and make the changes.
“Working with Asher, Matt, and Amber has been amazing,” she says. “When I met Asher, he was a cute kid with curly hair, but he had a lot of behaviors. Seeing videos of him in therapy and how far he’s come brings tears to my eyes.”
Linda takes care of her two grandsons, Micah and Noah, in a household where family is a big priority. Linda’s daughter and Micah and Noah’s mother has substance use disorder and, although she loves her sons, could not provide a stable home life for them, so Linda stepped in to provide that, but it has not been an easy road.
“I decided not to take the steps to adopt them yet,” says Linda. “I want my daughter to get better and be in their lives, be their mother.”
Micah, 11, and Noah, 6, have different fathers, but they both struggle with behavioral issues, specifically bursts of anger that they have not learned to process or control. Linda sometimes feels lost taking care of them, but she does not want to create any more instability for the boys who have structure and consistency in her house.
In 2022, Micah’s father came back into their lives and told Linda he was going to get custody of his son. At first, Linda did not take him seriously because he had not shown much interest in visiting or taking care of Micah in the time she had been taking care of him. In fact, she recalls he sometimes would drive past her house but not stop. Then she got word that he had filed to terminate her guardianship of Micah, and she had to go to a hearing, which she did by herself—without an attorney.
The hearing did not go as smoothly as she anticipated, and after sharing with her family about what happened, Linda’s nephew told her, “You need to get an attorney, Aunt Linda. Now.”
Linda started looking for an attorney but got discouraged quickly at the cost, but not long after, Noah came home from school with a Lawyer in the School flyer in his backpack.
“I was wary,” says Linda. “I thought, ‘This can’t be real.’ But I was in need, so I still reached out to the program, and that’s when I met my attorney, Amber. She was real with me, and she gave me confidence.”
Together, Linda and Amber prepared and went to a second hearing to determine if her guardianship would be terminated. The result was complicated for Linda; her guardianship was not terminated, but Micah’s dad had six months of weekly visitation then could file another petition.
“He decided not to proceed,” Linda explains. “I haven’t heard from his dad. It’s been hard for him.”
Since her guardianship case was closed, Amber has also helped Linda apply for assistance through the Mountaineer Rental Assistance Program, which allowed her a safety net after the toll the past few years’ expenses—and COVID pandemic—have taken on Linda.
“I truly felt like Amber was my sister,” says Linda. “When I got the letter saying our client-attorney relationship was ending, I felt bad. I really did. But I can still talk to her, and she explained that was just part of the process.”
Linda still has custody of both Micah and Noah and continues to work with them on behavioral health struggles, and she spreads the news of Legal Aid of WV and the Lawyer in the School program far and wide, whenever she can.
“Legal Aid and Lawyer in the School staff are so compassionate. They listen. There are things behind the scenes that no one knows about that happened during my case—and Amber came up with things I would have never known about to help me.”
Three years ago, Mary and her dog moved to West Virginia to support her niece, who was pregnant with twins at the time.
“I’m the only family she has left,” says Mary. “I was planning to retire, so this seemed like perfect timing, and I could help her and her husband with their little girls.”
After moving, Mary found a pet-friendly apartment downtown where she could walk most places she needed to go, and as a bonus, she really liked her new landlord, who happens to be an attorney in town.
In June 2022, Mary was struggling to pay her rent on top of all of her other bills on her limited income. One day, her landlord mentioned that West Virginia had options through the Mountaineer Rental Assistance Program (MRAP) for renters to get help.
Mary reached out to Legal Aid of West Virginia (LAWV), where she connected with an attorney who helped get together everything she needed to apply for rental assistance.
“With the cooperation of the landlord, we investigated the client’s MRAP eligibility and prepared her application,” says LAWV Attorney Carolyn Beyer. “Within a month, she was approved, keeping her in stable housing where she was allowed to keep her dog.”
The assistance included three months of rent payment, allowing Mary to catch up on some of her other bills. She has been able to stay current on her utilities and rent since working with LAWV.
“I’ve never been in that position where I needed assistance. I didn’t know anything about legal aid,” says Mary. “Working with Carolyn was wonderful. She was very thoughtful and explained everything to me from the process to the status of things. She was professional, and the rent was paid directly to my landlord, so the experience was painless.”
Mary is still living in her apartment, near her niece’s family, and she has been able to watch her niece’s twins grow—a true treasure in her life.
In the summer of 2019, Bobby and Lisa received a letter from the Social Security Administration (SSA), asking for information about Bobby’s income. Bobby had been receiving SSDI, Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, for more than 25 years, but was working part-time. Bobby has difficulty communicating due to the combined effects of a genetic disorder and a traumatic accident he experienced as a child. Bobby cannot read, write, or speak clearly, which has made maintaining employment difficult for most of his adult life. Bobby’s wife, Lisa, read the letter and sent back the income information requested by the SSA without a second thought.
However, right before Christmas that year, they got another letter from the SSA; this time, it said Bobby’s disability benefits would stop in January 2020. They were stunned.
Lisa and Bobby both worked but relied on Bobby’s disability benefits to keep them afloat. If anything were to happen to Bobby’s employment status, they understood it would be extremely difficult to find another employer that would offer him the disability-related accommodations that he received in his current job. Bobby’s co-workers and employers had adapted to the art of communicating with him, even without the ability to directly hold a conversation.
A few short months later, COVID hit, and Bobby and Lisa found themselves in an all-too-familiar position with no work, but this time, they had no disability income to support them. They reached out to the SSA, but they refused to re-evaluate their decision and kept telling him to “be patient.” Bobby’s employer—his first stable job in years—sent them to Legal Aid of WV.
At first review with Lisa, LAWV staffer Carmen provided her with a list of financial documentation needed to evaluate his case and pinpoint the cause of his benefits being stopped. Bobby was working full-time and making just enough money to no longer qualify—mostly due to pay period timeframes.
“All of a sudden, we got another letter from Social Security,” says Lisa. “When that came through, we learned we were facing a $32,000 overpayment charge. It was a scary time.”
Because of Bobby’s job, the SSA determined they had overpaid benefits to Bobby totaling $32,100, and they would need to pay back as soon as possible.
Lisa continued to explore ways to get help, but Bobby had had enough. He went to the local SSA office with a sticky-note of questions written by Lisa asking for help in understanding what was happening. With no income and now a large amount due, the response of “be patient” wasn’t enough. Without telling Lisa, he also went to the Legal Aid of WV office on his own to get some answers.
“My first encounter with Bobby was one of my most frustrating experiences as an advocate,” says Carmen, who is a paralegal for Legal Aid of WV. “I knew he was upset, but I had a hard time figuring out what he was trying to say.”
He came into the office, and Carmen talked with him. She patiently listened and could pick out a few words from Bobby’s speech but could not get the whole picture. After several minutes together, Carmen asked if he could return later that day with his wife to help facilitate a more productive conversation. Bobby agreed.
In reflecting on that meeting, Carmen recalled, “I remember saying before he left, ‘What’s wrong, Bobby? You mean you can’t just write a $32,000 check?’ He relaxed after that. He knew I understood, and the humor broke the tension.”
Carmen got to work on the case, but they faced delay after delay, largely due to COVID. It took months to even get the proper paperwork through to the remote worker handling the case. Through this process, Carmen was able to get Bobby’s employer’s perspective and a better understanding as to how he was able to perform the work despite his disability. The SSA re-calculated his income with a numeric deduction for the accommodations that Bobby received on the job.
After months of work, Carmen got word that Bobby would get his benefits back. Bobby and Lisa were ecstatic when they heard the news. Not only would his monthly check be reinstated, but the overpayment was also waived and the SSA would be repaying him a lump sum for benefits that he should have received during the months his case was being reviewed.
“It hasn’t been easy.” says Lisa. “There is a real stigma. People say Bobby’s working—and he is—but if he were to go anywhere else or if his workplace closed, he might not be able to find work again. When he tries to communicate, most people just turn away.”
Carmen was someone who was willing to work with Bobby.
“Working with these two—working with Bobby, has been one of my most rewarding experiences,” says Carmen. “I am proud that I was able to help him to resolve his benefits issue, but I have also really enjoyed working with them.”
Bobby and Lisa agree, and Lisa says love, community, and support is what has helped them be who they are.
“To come from what Bobby came from, it was like watching a caterpillar come out of a chrysalis,” says Lisa. “That’s how the Lord works. We feel like he brought us here to Legal Aid, and we need people to know they are here, and they are here to help.”
Jean lives on her own and likes her independence, and her sister, Sarah, lives nearby. Jean is on public benefits since she is unable to work, so her housing has to meet her financial needs.
In 2020, Jean was living in a federally subsidized apartment when her landlord sent her a notice threatening to evict her. The notice accused her of late rent payments, but Jean speculated that the real reason for the eviction threats was because she got into a disagreement with one of her neighbors, who complained to the building’s landlord. Jean was in a panic about the possibility of being evicted and wasn’t sure what to do, so she called Sarah.
Sarah knew what was happening was wrong, so she and Jean applied for help from Legal Aid of WV (LAWV) and were assigned to LAWV attorney, Paul.
Paul determined that the landlord’s eviction threats were in blatant violation of the her obligations under the lease and under federal regulation, but the landlord continued making unwarranted threats of eviction until Paul helped Jean get a court order, which forced the landlord to cease and to work with Jean and her lawyer to address any legitimate concerns.
Jean and Paul went to her court hearing together, a moment Jean says she could not have prepared for alone.
“It was scary going to Court, but Paul helped me. We got along good,” says Jean. “We got stuck in the elevator with my landlord’s lawyer. That wasn’t good, though.”
After her hearing, the judge determined she was allowed to stay in her apartment. She and her landlord also were set up to attend mediation sessions to help ensure any other conflicts were handled before they escalated.
Shortly after Paul began working on her eviction, Jean’s finances fell into limbo. She had been working with a company and payee who managed her finances for her, but they told her she was no longer in their region and would have to find someone else to help.
Paul had communicated with her payee while working on her eviction case, and when he learned about the problem, he quickly got Sarah set up as Jean’s power of attorney to ensure her financial care was in good hands.
In the fall of 2021, near the Thanksgiving holiday, Jean’s apartment building unexpectedly burned to the ground.
“I went to pick Jean up—it was probably 2 or 3 in the morning,” says Sarah. “She was outside barefoot in pajamas with a picture of our mother and our relative’s ashes. She lost everything.”
While Jean had no apartment, she stayed with Sarah, who reached out to Paul again. In spite of regulations requiring federally subsidized landlords to offer assistance to tenants, Jean’s landlord seemed inclined to use the fire as an excuse to remove Jean as a tenant.
“Jean ended up living with me for a few months,” says Sarah. “Paul worked with her landlord to get her an apartment in another building that she could afford. We just now have been able to get her new place furnished to where she was before.”
Jean was able to get some help from her community; folks fundraised for everyone in the apartment who lost everything. But Sarah and Jean still had a lot of work to do on their own. Sarah is still working on getting all of Jean’s identification cards that were lost.
“I want to do by right by Jean,” says Sarah. “I have never been a power of attorney before, so I want to make sure I’m doing the right things. Sometimes, I need advice, and Legal Aid is there to help. Legal Aid helped Jean when her husband—they were long-separated—died. They helped her navigate her SSI and Medicaid, and Paul even helped us when we had a problem with a bill from Suddenlink.
“Paul went above and beyond what you would think a lawyer would do for you. He is wonderful. You’ll never get another Paul—without him, I don’t know what would have happened. He is passionate about helping people.”
Growing up in Charleston, Christina had a “perfectly normal upbringing.”
“I was happy,” she says. “Things were fine, and then I met my husband and moved out to Cabin Creek. I loved being outside the city, it was so quiet and pretty.” Her husband had a good job, and soon they added a son and daughter to their small family. “Things were pretty good.”
With her husband working long hours, Christina was on her own with two small children, and the stress began to mount. According to her, “It started with drinking some, and then a little more, and then I got to the point where I liked to party on the weekends. Most of the people in my family don’t drink at all, so I was never used to having alcohol around. But once I started drinking, I didn’t want to stop.”
The heavy drinking continued for years, but she and her husband remained happily married, though he urged her to drink less. Instead, she “kept drinking and then got into pills and other stuff. I just couldn’t stop.”
Family and friends noticed the changes, and her husband also noticed the cash that seemed to disappear from their accounts. “I’d go into his wallet and clean it out,” she says, “but that man loved me and even when he was mad, he never left me on my own.”
After well over a decade of family, friends, and doctors telling her she needed to stop, Christina entered recovery one more time, and this time was able to maintain sobriety. Things were good—her family was thrilled. This continued for a while, but then she faced two staggering losses: her mother and her beloved husband both passed away within a year of each other, leaving her with unresolved legal and property issues that not only put her at risk for homelessness but also severe stress that put her sobriety at risk.
Christina speaks with Legal Aid staff at Cabin Creek Health Center
That’s when she turned to Brendan Wood, a Legal Aid attorney embedded at Cabin Creek Health Center through a medical-legal partnership. Brendan helps people recovering from substance use disorder (SUD) resolve legal problems so they can focus their attention on getting—and staying—in recovery.
Brendan assisted Christina in navigating and resolving the legal issues she faced, leaving her with a safe home, some assets in her pocket, and her sobriety intact. As a member of, and self-professed “den mother” to a SUD recovery group based out of the Cabin Creek health center, Christina was not only grateful to Brendan for the help she received personally but for how it affected her fellow peers in recovery. “They saw someone who was there to help, without judgment. That really means something.”
