Aug 17, 2015
Starting With a Challenged Young Life
It is hard to imagine the challenges Alayna has dealt with in her young life. Born in Albuquerque and raised in another state, Alayna grew up in an abusive home and at a young age experienced extreme mood swings. As a result of the abuse, Alayna was sent to live with a relative back in Albuquerque. However, her living situation remained unstable.
Feeling alone and vulnerable, she began acting out in very destructive ways. Alayna had her first of four children at the age of 17. She struggled with undiagnosed mental health issues, and ended up turning to drugs. "I became a drug addict,” she says simply. All this led to trouble with the law and, ultimately, jail.
Realization Actualized
At the age of 29, Alayna had an epiphany. “I didn’t want to do drugs and be in trouble with the law,” she explains, “I attribute this to God.” She decided that she wanted to be healthy, which did not come without intense sacrifice. She gave up her four children “because I wasn’t a good parent.” She went on to earn her GED, obtain a drivers’ license, and complete her probation and parole.
While she was making progress, she still had no place to call home. And she still did not understand that her undiagnosed mental health issues were impacting her daily life. “I tried to work but I couldn’t hold down a job,” she states straightforwardly.
In 2012, Alayna recieved a diagnosis that finally helped to strategize her recovery, but also opened a door for housing assistance. She was led to the Supportive Housing Coalition of New Mexico (SHC-NM) and to what has now been her home for over 3 years.
“I had heard about these apartments from my parole officer, my case manager, and even a gentleman on the bus,” she says with a smile. With the income she recieves from SSDI, she is able to rent an affordable apartment from SHC-NM and has plans to move from her small studio to a larger one bedroom unit.
An Exciting Future Ahead
Currently a culinary arts student at Central New Mexico Community College (CNM), Alayna only has one year to go before recieving her Associates Degree. While she admits to college be tough, she feels a great sense of belonging, of being “plugged in.”
She is grateful every day that she finally has a safe place to live. Because of her sense of safety, Alayna feels like she no longer has to worry about much else. Alayna has hopes to get to a place in her life where she is able to use her degree, and perhaps open her own pastry shop. “Maybe I’ll get married,” she says, “most importantly, I am finally able to have a clear dream for my future.”
“I can sleep, prepare my dinner, study and read. I’m getting healthy physically, emotionally, and mentally.”
The Supportive Housing Coalition of New Mexico works to to prevent and reduce homelessness, create housing equity, and increase quality of life for people with behavioral health issues in New Mexico by creating affordable, supportive housing in partnership with local communities and member agencies.
Find out how you can help Strike Out Homelessness now through September 30th!
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