Ruby’s Story

When Ruby first contacted ILP she was 16 and recovering from a crack cocaine addiction, after a childhood spent in homeless shelters and on the streets. Now, at 30, she is married with two children, has a steady and rewarding government job and owns her own home.

“The treatment program taught me how to stay drug free. ILP taught me how to live,” says Ruby. At ILP, Ruby had her own apartment and met regularly with her counselor to discuss how to stay on top of things. ILP helped Ruby get back into school and find a job at a hair salon. She learned how to make priorities and take on responsibilities; how to budget and save money; how to organize her day and be at work on time. But the thing she remembers most about that time in her life is that “they showed me a whole lot of love.”

Ruby graduated from ILP when she was 17, but, like most Sasha Bruce Youthwork clients, the help didn’t stop there. When she moved into her first apartment, ILP helped her furnish it. When she had her first child, one of the ILP counselors became godfather. Ruby still drops by to visit ILP regularly.