Testimonials

Stories of Success

Mitchel M

April 22 2019

This letter is in regard to my stay at the Healing Hearts For Sobriety sober living house. First of all I would just like to say thank you from the bottom of my heart and that of my families for everything they did.

My name is Mitchel Denis Anthony Marta and I am a 33 year old man of aboriginal decent. My upbringing and life is one of many terrible and horrid experiences, which in turn led to me leading a very unhealthy lifestyle. So at the time that HHFS and their incredible staff came into my life I had almost given up on life. As a young man the choices I made in life led me to do a lengthy prison sentence which upon my release I was suffering from P.T.S.D and was nearly unable to function in society. I continued to make bad choices all the while trying my hardest to change my life. I met a good women who saved my life and I started to live a better life, but all the while I had some serious mental health concerns I was dealing with and would continue to do drugs and drink which was the only way I knew how to deal with things. Then one day I was doing just that and once again found myself in trouble with the law, i felt as if everything healthy I learned and everyone healthy I met was lost and had nearly given up on life. Then one day sitting in the remand center I acquired the number for HHFS and decided to give them a call, which was the beginning of my new healthy and hopeful future. Right from my first phone call which I was extremely nervous to make, the staff immediately eased my mind with their willingness to listen to me and my story. They didn't just pass me off as a lost cause or judge me from my mistakes I made in the past, instead they listened n gave me some hope in which I had all but lost. I was released into their custody and immediately I was greeted as a human being and was treated with genuine kindness and respect which was new to me. I then had my first meeting with Sandra when I arrived at my new apartment run by the HHFS. From past experience I was expecting just another run of the mill operation. But right from the moment I met Sandra I was impressed by her and HHFS. She gave me my tour and ran all the rules and regulations by me and told me what was expected of me and what I could expect from them. Contrary to my past experiences her and the staff lived up to everything they said, they were so respectful, so helpful they also gave me a lot of insight into programs that I could use to educate myself. They went above and beyond to make me feel safe while living in their program and also went above and beyond to make sure I was properly instructed on how n where to get programming and counselling. Along with that they would also help me and all the others find ways or drive us to appointments and classes. They would also help me and others find mental health practitioners and health care professionals to make sure I was getting the help I needed all the while living a sober and healthy lifestyle. They helped me find and apply to a treatment center where I could address my mental health diseases of addiction and P.T.S.D and made sure I had proper transportation and everything else I needed. I could go on and on about how much they did for me and the others there for that matter but to sum it all up, if it wasn't for Sandra and the rest of the staff at the HHFS I would of lost hope and would not be the man, father or the husband I am today. I am proud to say with all their help I am clean and sober and am pursuing a career in the trades and am also looking into a career as an addiction counselor mainly because of their guidance and help. If there was more people like the staff of HHFS and their incredible organization in the world I could honestly say I guarantee we would have a lot less men and women wandering around helpless and hopeless and living with the disease of addiction. So once again from the bottom of my heart me and my entire family would like to thank them, without them I would still be a lost soul , and with them I have another real chance at life and another chance at breaking the chains of the terrible demon of addiction. I owe my new healthy and sober path in life to Sandra and the rest of the incredible staff of the Healing Hearts For Sobriety.

Sincerely,

Mitchel Marta

Kristi Schneider

Healing Hearts For Sobriety of Edmonton has been a very positive home for me post incarceration. they have supported my rehabilitation in a safe, ethical, compassionate and individualized manner. they maintain this facility in a professional fashion which is important for the functioning and success of myself along with other people that live here. The program has been a great experience for me and has facilitated my success and maintenance in sobriety thus far.

I personally have been impressed and fortunate for the assistance with concerning to and accessing community resources. The facilitators Reena, Sandra and Moon are most knowledgeable in accessing community resources that has been beneficial in assisting me to stay sober. I have been informed exact facilities and was provided with direct contact information and instructions for different programs, groups, counselling, transportation, nutrition, clothing, and a medical clinic.

All of these resources, I have accessed and utilized and are now essential in my treatment plan.

The facilitators are here, programs tha if needed. They are dedicated, accountable, and dependable people that everyday; do a challenging job by trying to truly help people struggling with past or current issues of substance abuse and criminals to better themselves. They do this by creating an individualized treatment plan with each person and also provide us with the support and tools to be productive in executing our treatment plans.

Since I have been here, I have witnessed renovations to the suites and building, have been provided with a few groceries to start off my stay here and offered food cooked by the facilitators themselves periodically and have been given instructions on expected house rules and behavior. I feel these are only a few of the many positive things Healing Hearts has to offer myself and other people in rehabilitation.

Their organization gave me a safe, structured, disciplined, caring, and knowledgeable framework that had enabled me to not be any longer in custody and transition back into society. for their efforts and organization, I am truly thankful. I have been functionally and accountability, as well as fell confident that I am in a supportive and positive environment.

This facility also has WI FI which has enable me to do research about different community resources and also helped in accessing them such as typing letters for legal matters, AHS programs and Residential Treatment programs, my proper bus routes to and from essentials appointments, counselling, medical appointments and mandatory P.O. appointments. These are only a couple of the many benefits I have received from this facility through providing WIFI.

There are also mandatory programs that Healing Hearts provides. There is a program called Grief and Loss that is currently in session and is comprised of sessions. I have quite enjoyed this program because it has helped me identified loss and grief in my life and I have learned how it is connected to my substance abuse. I have learned how to identified strategies that will assist me in my choices of how to cope more productively than I used to.

To this facility and its people, I am truly thankful.

Sincerely,

Kristi Schneider

Cody Woodman

To Who it May Concern

One of my family members is currently in this program. If it wasn't for Reena, she wouldn't be able able to straighten her life out

Thank you,

Cody Woodyman

Brenda Stadynk

Healing Hearts is a great organization and a safe clean and sober living home. This program offered my son mutual support and understanding. They offered transitional sober living program as he struggles with alcoholism and drug addiction, even after my son relapsed they still excepted him back in the program.

Brenda Stadyn

Christoper Stadnyk

I would like to thank Reena as well as the Healing Hearts staff, for give a chance to rehabilitate back into a better path. Giving me shelter, life lessons, strength, security and wisdom with experience. I did not deserve the chance to try again were I have failed one too many times. Thank you again for getting me one step closer to my children and family.

Darren Richards

Healing Hearts is helping Bonita Quinn. Since Bonita has been a client at Healing Hearts her progress as a maturing responsible member of the community is noticeable greatly improved. I thank them for their support and guidance. They are always there to help reach out. I am Bonita's fiance.

Unknown

While my stay in Healing hearts, I've benefited in so many ways. I've become sober, drug free. I am in programs. I take care physical care of myself my mental health.

I am stable on my medication. A lot of that has to do with the Healing Hearts program, so many thanks to the Healing Hearts. I am sure people would benefit as well as, I have have from this program.

Reena and Sandra are two inspirational and caring people who care about their clients.

Chante Alook

I have been on the streets for years. I met Reena. She has helped me out lots. Keeping me sober and doing programs. Healing hearts For Sobriety has helped me lots Giving me a place I can feel safe safe in. She is awesome. Thank you very much Reena.