sharing the love: Tanya and Bella’s family gives back to help more families thrive!
“If it weren’t for Mary’s Place, I’m not sure where I would be right now” shares Tanya Rinker, a single mother who came to Mary’s Place while she was pregnant with her baby girl, Bella. When she found out she was pregnant with Bella, Tanya was determined to seek treatment for her substance use disorder and be the best mom she could be for her new baby. Addiction can be isolating and lonely, but the promise of the unconditional love between her and her new bundle of joy gave Tanya the hope and motivation she needed to enroll in a special treatment program at Swedish Ballard for pregnant people.
The Substance Using Pregnant People (SUPP) Program has been serving people in the Northwest for more than 30 years with collaborative, nonjudgmental care and often partners with Mary’s Place to help patients who need housing support. During the COVID-19 pandemic the program had to temporarily shut down and many of the enrollees, including Tanya, came to live at Mary’s Place. At Mary’s Place, Tanya and the other resilient parents from the SUPP program had a safe and accepting place to continue their treatment, work toward their housing goals, and get connected to the pre- and post-natal care they needed with support in navigating insurance, transportation to and from doctor visits, and staff support to keep appointments on track.
Tanya and Bella celebrate moving into permanent housing!
In February 2021, Tanya and Bella moved out of shelter into an apartment and today they are still stably housed and thriving as a family! Tanya is currently studying to become a substance abuse counselor and Bella is blossoming into a smart, fun-loving kid! “It’s so inspiring to hear from families, like Tanya, who are thriving in their own space,” says Tina Browne, Senior Site Director. “Tanya often spoke about changing her life and being in a position to help other families one day – and now she’s doing just that! Her ability to walk alongside someone and truly know what they are experiencing will be powerful. I’m so happy for her and can’t wait to see what amazing things she’ll do in her career.”
Tanya recently reached out to share some additional sweet news, “for his 20th work anniversary, my father’s company gave him $10,000 to donate to any charity of his choice. It brought tears to my eyes when he chose Mary’s place” shared Tanya! “My family and I are so grateful for everyone at Mary’s Place. You touch more than just the hearts of those you give shelter to, Mary’s Place brings families back together and provided me with the support I needed to take a second chance at a happy life!”