Margaret

Margaret’s optimism in the face of adversity has made her a role model at Bowery Residents' Committee's Los Vecinos SRO. Over the 12 years she has lived at Los Vecinos, Margaret has achieved more than she ever dreamed.

Margaret’s early years were overshadowed by loss and abuse. Born into a troubled family in Brooklyn, she was removed from her mother’s care at the age of two. After being abused by her foster mother and members of her biological family, she began to suffer from mental illness and drug addiction in her early teens.

Following high school, Margaret held various odd jobs, used drugs heavily and bounced between friends, family and homeless shelters. She gave birth to a daughter and son, but gave custody of both to family and friends because she knew she could not care for them. She was diagnosed with HIV and cycled in and out of shelters and drug rehabilitation programs.

In 1997, after 21 years of homelessness, Margaret was referred to the BRC Reception Center, a transitional residence where she began to turn her life around. When she arrived at Los Vecinos, she knew she wanted to maintain her sobriety and hoped to reunite with her family. Los Vecinos provided comprehensive medical planning to help Margaret take control of her HIV, Hepatitis C and bipolar disorder.

Since arriving at Los Vecinos, Margaret has reunited with her children and relatives, completed her twelfth year of sobriety and quit smoking. She has also become a peer counselor at Harlem Hospital and completed multiple certifications, including the Harm Reduction Coalition’s Hepatitis C Consultants Program. Most impressively, she is now a certified nurse employed as a part-time Community Liaison Worker.

Margaret continues to utilize the support offered at Los Vecinos even as she sets ever higher goals. For her courage and adversity, the Network honored Margaret with its 2008 Tenant of the Year award.

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