ONE ON WON –
Jan. 13, 2022 – “I had tried so hard to get to that spot and finally be there,” Pola, 45, said. “Every day before that’s just been this vicious cycle of just trying to get my basic needs met while I’m trying to get to my kids, and it’s just a nightmare.”
Now a drug and alcohol counselor at Her Place, she’s spent the past three years helping other women in Salem recover from their addictions.
Her Place is a transitional living program that provides onsite treatment, transportation, childcare and food for women who have children or are pregnant.
For the women she works with at Her Place, Pola said learning about her journey gives them hope. “This is the one thing I hear the most: ‘If you can do it, we can do it.’”
Pola grew up in West Linn. Her parents divorced when she was four years old and both battled addictions and alcoholism. She lived with her mom until she was 12. Then, she she moved to Salem to live with her father.
