Drueding Inspires Me To Do Better. Alicia's Story Alicia has worked hard to make life whole for herself and her children.  The pieces did not come together until they arrived at Drueding Center. A victim of abuse at the hands of her daughters’ fathers, Alicia sought a safe haven at her mother’s home.  Instead, it was here that Alicia first used the drugs that would hold her hostage for the next four years.  The Department of Human Services removed her three children when she was incarcerated for aggravated assault in 2007.  In prison, she gave birth to her fourth daughter. Alicia has been clean ever since.  She began the slow process of regaining custody of her girls and secured subsidized housing.  Things were looking up until a Section 8 policy forced the family to vacate their home.  They entered the shelter system.  Alicia knew her girls, one still a toddler, did not deserve to live in unsanitary conditions and use communal bathrooms. By the time the family came to Drueding Center, they were physically, emotionally, and mentally drained, unsure of their future. “Drueding Center was nothing like the shelters,” says Alicia.  “I was actually taken aback by the level of caring the staff showed me and my girls.  Drueding inspires me to do better for myself and my children.  With the staff’s motivation, support, and love, the future is brighter than the stars in the sky.”  More About Alicia Age: 31 Mother to: Daughters Da’jah, Sherae, Indyia, and Samiya, and also daughters Lakeysha and Nia, who do not live with Alicia. Plans to: Resume work as a certified carpenter; provide her girls with a quality education and a stable home. Loves to: Read, go skating with her girls every weekend, and cook. Hopes to: Remain sober, obtain and maintain stable housing, and continue to be positive and encouraging during her journey to achieve independence and self-sufficiency. Alicia’s Family Advocate says…. “Alicia demonstrates excellent parenting skills, structure, education, and discipline in a loving and compassionate manner. I am confident that she will obtain full-time employment, be a positive role model for her girls, and be a phenomenal woman.”