How Stable Housing Helped Betty Reclaim Her Independence

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Walking into Betty’s building on Penn Avenue, residents are greeted with beautiful curtains on the windows and furniture in the entryway, creating a welcoming atmosphere. Betty has lived in Alliance housing for four years, longer than most of the other places she’s lived in throughout her life. In that time, she’s put effort into making her building a pleasant space for everyone who enters. She utilizes her enjoyment of shopping and keen eye for interior design to make her building homey for herself and her neighbors.

Because Betty lives with a disability that impedes her ability to get around, she takes pride in creating an inviting home. She is the youngest of a large family and spent much of her

early adulthood helping care for her aging mother-in-law in Florida. She fell into tough times, struggling with mental health issues and addiction, which made it difficult to care for herself and her children or maintain a stable home.

Betty shared that after a few years of couch hopping, she knew she “needed to stay the hell out of trouble”. She moved back to Minnesota and got help beating her addiction by spending some time in the Challenge Incarceration Program (CIP) in the Shakopee Women’s Correctional Facility. Upon her release she began to create a better life for herself and her youngest son Antwoin who lives with her.

Now Betty is 10 years sober. She is still battling health issues, but her stable home with Alliance has allowed her to get proper medical treatment and build a life for her family. She is proud of her son, who plays football and makes the honor roll at school. She looks forward to one day starting her own interior design business – which she has already named “BB’S Creative Design” – and becoming her own boss.