For years, Lori had no place to call home. She was unhoused, moving from place to place, and struggling to find stability. Support was scarce, and the future felt out of reach. Eventually, she ended up in a motel in Bennington, where she stayed for over two years. Through it all, she battled addiction alongside her partner, Jimmy. “Being homeless is really scary. Every day you want to give up.”
In April 2024, everything changed. Lori met Stephanie, a Housing Coordinator from Pathways Vermont. At first, she didn’t trust the process – too many times, she had felt overlooked or judged. But Stephanie was different. She listened without making Lori feel like a problem to be solved. The Housing First team treated her with kindness and respect. “They didn’t just help me find an apartment,” Lori says. “They gave me the strength to believe in myself.”
Two months later, Lori and Jimmy stepped through the front door of their new apartment. That first night, they sat together on a blanket on the floor of the living room, letting it all sink in. “It was the best feeling ever – something I never thought I’d experience,” she remembers. After years of survival, they finally had a home.
Now, 13 months sober, Lori’s life has transformed. Her apartment is a safe place where she can heal and look forward. Thanks to a reasonable accommodation secured by Pathways, she qualified for a two-bedroom unit. That extra room, filled with art supplies and craft projects in progress, has become a space of creativity and calm – a way to express herself and find peace in her daily life.
Her home has provided stability and fostered connection. Her two children visit from New York twice a month, which she calls “the most rewarding” part of having a permanent home. She’s made friends with her neighbors and even bonded with the maintenance man, who helped her build dog beds for her two chihuahuas.
For the first time, she’s been able to furnish her space with pieces she’s excited about—pieces she owns. She regularly rearranges her furniture and the art on her walls. “I change my apartment around so much because I’m excited! I’m not taking it for granted,” she says. A rocking chair that arrives tomorrow will be the latest addition.
Lori is moving forward with compassion and intention, finding new ways to grow and give back. She hopes to become an addiction counselor and use her lived experience to help others in recovery. Looking back on everything that has changed, she reflects, “I’m so proud of us – we’ve come so far. I’m grateful every day.”
