Columbus, Ohio, August 22, 2002—Tanya Long has a peaceful way about her as she manages the many roles in her life. She is a loving and responsible parent, a supportive family member, a leader within her church, and a nationally-known advocate against child abuse. She has a wonderful home filled with love and the laughter of children. She is thankful for her many blessings.
It is hard to believe that things could be any different than they are now. But if the conversation ever gets around to her past, Tanya might tell you a different story, the story of her life before she became involved in recovery. She loved to party, “back in the day.” She loved the glamorous lifestyle: the parties, concerts, limousines, and beautiful clothes. She also enjoyed the drugs that came along with the lifestyle, at least at first. The good times came and went, but the drug use stayed with her. It was nearly the only thing that did.
“I got to the point where I had nothing but my clothes and my kids,” Tanya explained over lunch. “I was addicted to drugs. I lost my husband. I had three children that were depending on me, and I was homeless. I was about ready to run for the hills.”
Instead of running, however, Tanya made a decision that would change her life forever. She decided to ask for help. She decided to get involved in recovery services. Someone told her to call Catholic Social Services, a partner agency of the Community Shelter Board, because they had a family shelter. Tanya picked up the phone, and spoke to someone at the shelter who told her they could find a place for her and her children at the family shelter. Tanya took them up on the offer, and never looked back.
“I found a sense of peace at the shelter,” explains Tanya. “They helped support me in recovery, and encouraged me to be a good parent.”
Tanya’s life began settling down at the shelter. They provided a place where she could be together with her children in a supportive environment, and helped with childcare when she had appointments or AA meetings. The staff knew what she was going through, and talked with her whenever she needed support. They even let her extend the curfew when she had an evening AA meeting that ran late. After a few months at the shelter, Tanya was ready to try living on her own.
She began attending classes from Parents Anonymous to learn how to deal with the frustration of raising children on her own, and how to build a support network. That decision would shape her life in the future. Parents Anonymous asked Tanya to come back as a group leader. She began going back each year to teach classes on parenting. Now she is a leader for the national Parents Anonymous organization, sits on the National Call to Action Committee to end child abuse, and travels extensively to share her experience and help develop Parents Anonymous groups.
Tanya is also on the advisory board for Catholic Social Services Barbara Bonner Family Shelter, which moved recently from the Holy Rosary site downtown to a location within a larger apartment complex on the west side of Columbus. The new location allows families to live together in apartments, with more space and privacy. Tanya enjoys volunteering on the Catholic Social Services advisory board, and remains committed to helping families who are homeless, especially single mothers with children, and people in recovery from addiction to alcohol and other drugs.
“I feel like God gave me back my life,” explains Tanya, “but He gave it back to me better than it was before!”
The Community Shelter Board, established in 1986, is a non-profit intermediary organization which coordinates community based efforts, fosters collaboration, and funds services to assist families and individuals in Central Ohio to resolve their housing crisis. The Community Shelter Board allocates $7.0 million annually to support programs at 15 agencies. Last year, these programs served more than 11,000 individuals. The Community Shelter Board is funded by the City of Columbus, the Franklin County Board of Commissioners, the United Way of Franklin County, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Sate of Ohio, and other public and private donors.
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