INDEPENDENCE, Mo. – In her apartment, sitting at a donated desk, Robyn Potter toils over her least favorite subject: math, but she knows she has to study to pass the G.E.D. and go onto college.
Robyn’s a long way from when we first met her 25-years-old, living at Sheffield Place at that time she talked to us about the past that left her homeless.
“Started stripping at 18, became a prostitute at 19. I was working Independence Avenue,” she said.
Robyn did it to support her drug habit including crack cocaine, alcohol, and meth, which she started using at 15.
They were habits that scarred her and nearly killed her.
A doctor took me and stuck me in front of a mirror and said- you’re dying, but I still didn’t care,” she said.
Now at 27-years-old, Robyn lives with her 3-year-old daughter, Neveah, in their apartment.
She’s off the streets and off drugs for nearly two years.
“I don’t have a relapse in me. That if I relapse this time, it’s gonna be death for me,” Potter said.
Robyn’s studying for her G.E.D., which she missed passing by one math question last time, then she plans to go to Penn Valley Community College in the fall to achieve her dream of helping other people overcome their addictions.
“I really want to be a substance abuse counselor. I’d really like to help women that are still out there,” she said.
She’s well on her way, earning hours toward becoming a counselor and getting numerous accolades throughout her recovery, and she knows her experience can inspire others to make the same changes.
“Anybody can do it. If I can do it, if I can do it, anybody can because everybody never thought I’d be coming off the streets- ever- they thought that was just where I was going to be, and I thought it- but nope, I’m not there. I wouldn’t go back,” Potter said.
To find out more about Sheffield Place, click here.
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