Marlee says, “At Lifehouse things finally started going right. There were so many people there to help me. I found the unconditional love and acceptance I never had, and I finally felt safe. When I tried rehab before, I didn’t have God. I realized that if this is how people who believe in God act, then I want what they have. I have people cheering for me every day. I know my past doesn’t define me, and God forgives me. I finally have the peace and happiness I was chasing with drugs. I now have joy.”

“If you have a void in your life, you will try to fill it with the wrong guy or drugs. You should never lower your standards for anyone.” Marlee shares with new residents her story and about adjustment to the Lifehouse routine. She admits it was hard, but looking back she knows that everything has a purpose to help a resident change their life.
Lifehouse helps residents improve and heal family relationships, by connecting residents with counseling and educational programming specifically for mending relationships. Marlee has reconciled her relationship with her mom, who moved back to Buffalo after eight years in Louisville. They visit one another a couple times a year. She recalled when she called her mom for the first time.

“Mom told me later that she had been thinking about me while driving home one day. It made her sad, so she pulled over because she was crying. That was the moment I called her. It is bittersweet now knowing we lost so much time, but we are both so happy to reconnect. And we are so happy she gets to be a part of her granddaughter’s life.”
Marlee now lives with Layla in one of the Lifehouse transitional apartments. She has a good job in management for a local fast-casual restaurant, and is saving for a down payment on a home.
“I love my job! My supervisors like me. A few years ago, I never would have imagined I would be a key holder for the restaurant and supervise a couple dozen employees.”

Marlee’s daughter Layla is healthy, happy, and knows she is loved. Layla loves church and dancing with the praise team. Marlee adds, “I have the twenty staff members at Lifehouse that have my back. My worst day at Lifehouse was a thousand times better than any day I had when I was high. In my heart I know Lifehouse saved my life and saved Layla’s life.”