By Jonathan Friedman
Staff Writer
September 28, 2009 -- Like many homeless persons, Marissa Robinson -- who was among the 30 people recognized by the Westside Shelter & Hunger Coalition for changing their lives.-- found herself trapped for years in a vicious cycle.
Born to a “free-spirited hippie” mother and a heroin-addicted father who eventually died from an overdose, Robinson began smoking marijuana on a regular basis when she was in fifth grade.
Her use of drugs continued into adulthood, although she managed to stay sober for the pregnancies with her two older sons, both born before she turned 20.
“My pattern was to repeatedly get clean … and then as soon as everything started looking good, I would start using again and lose everything I had worked so hard to put together,” Robinson said.
“The end result was always the same, homelessness, jails and sending my kids back to live [elsewhere].”
Robinson added, “In my heart, I always loved my boys more than life itself. But despite my good intentions, the truth is that using came first.”
She began to realize she needed to make a change in 2000 when Robinson was sent to prison for two years. After being paroled, she soon met her future husband. The two had a child in 2004, and Robinson had “a little bit of clean time.” But it was not to last.
“Very overwhelmed and without any tools for sobriety, I turned to drugs once again,” Robinson said. “In order to provide food and shelter for my family, I reverted to my old ways and ultimately ended up in jail once again.”
What made the situation different this time was her teenage sons would no longer support her. Robinson had hit rock bottom. So when she was given the option of clinical treatment rather than more prison time, she took it.
She went to Miriam’s House, a recovery home in Culver City for mothers with substance abuse problems.
“It was filled with women who loved me unconditionally,” Robinson said. “They guided me and they put their hands out to me.”
This April, Robinson celebrated two years of sobriety. She now works part-time at Miriam’s House as a house coordinator and is enrolled at Santa Monica College. Reunited with her four children, Robinson and her husband are working on opening a business.
“Things can change in people’s lives,” Robinson said. “So they can be something you think that they might be for the rest of their lives.
"But [to change that] it takes one person that has hope for another human being. And when that person shows their love, it makes all the difference in the world.”
