Joni Reed with her family in Kamloops, B.C.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Joni Reed

A mother of four who spent 15 years struggling on the streets addicted to meth is now living a sober life with her children in Kamloops, thanks to community supports.

When Joni Reed arrived in Kamloops in 2015 from Abbotsford to attend a recovery program, she was in rough shape.

“The only time I was sober during all those years was when I was in jail,” Reed said. “I was kicked out of a recovery program in Abbotsford, and then here, for not following programming. I was in my first trimester of pregnancy, coming off a two year meth relapse. All I wanted to do was sleep.”

Reed’s gritty survival story and success in reclaiming her health and children is proof that even though there are gaps in the system, like stigma and lack of appropriate, affordable housing, recovery is possible and there are supports available.

READ MORE: Kamloops doula delivering babies of street entrenched mothers calls for compassion

Reed finished her 90-day recovery with VisionQuest Recovery Society in Logan Lake and returned to Kamloops.

“I was five months clean and I knew I needed some family support,” she said. “I already had a daughter in 2011 who left my care when she was a baby. My first attempt at parenting had failed.”

Reed Googled family supports in Kamloops and found The Tree, an organization for helping moms, that operates under the umbrella of Kamloops Family Resources Society, a registered Canadian charity.

“It was Friday afternoon and they were closing and I started crying,” she said. “They stayed open and let me come see them. I was there almost every single day for the following couple of years.”

Reed said she was able to access many different supports through the program, including educational and prenatal classes. Reed needed a lot of support to build a foundation for success.

“I didn’t know anyone in Kamloops,” she said. “I am from an extremely violent, drug-fueled lifestyle. I had no idea how to live, how to maintain friendships, or how to be a mom.”

READ MORE: 'Falling through the cracks': City councillor looks for answers on Kelowna's street entrenched population

The program is run from a house, where moms sit around a dining room table together and connect. There is a television and toys for the kids.

“I had never connected with women because of trauma and trust issues,” Reed said. “I am tall and big and covered in tattoos. My physical appearance and attitude were intimidating. Everyone knew not to sit in my chair. I had a scowl on my face. I didn’t know myself as a person and didn’t know how to conduct myself.”

Kamloops mom Joni Reed (right) with her eldest child.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Joni Reed

Reed said it took a while before she became comfortable with herself. She had a son, followed by a set of twin boys. Outreach workers from the program attended her deliveries.

“It is common practice for staff to be with us when we give birth,” she said. “Mothers are struggling with substance abuse and some are literally detoxing in the hospital while in labour. Outreach workers are there to make the experience the least traumatic as possible.”

Reed has since become a mentor in the program using her lived experience to give other struggling moms a helping hand up. She knows what gaps in the system need to be filled to help others recover.

“There needs to be programming, more training and more education around mothers struggling with substance misuse, and far less stigma,” she said. “There are services and supports through different agencies but there are a lot of women who will not access them out of fear of their drug use being discovered, and the potential for their children to be taken away.”

The housing crisis is affecting people who are living on social assistance and barely getting by. While Reed remained vague about her personal housing situation for privacy reasons, she said for some people, having few housing options is pushing them into dangerous and triggering living environments.

“We need way more subsidized housing,” she said. “For every low barrier building there needs to be housing for safe, clean family living as well. Having people using in your living situation is triggering and leads to relapses.”

READ MORE: Affordable senior, family rental complex opens in Kamloops

Reed is coming up on seven years of sobriety and has worked with the marginalized mothers in the community for four years. She has custody of all four of her children. The mom is graduating as a Community Support & Addictions Worker.

“I can’t fix past mistakes but I can make amends by giving back to my community to help empower others to take back their lives,” Reed said. “My goal is to work with youth and women in recovery.”

Kamloops Family Resources Society is a non-profit society that helps families and individuals overcome life challenges.

“At our centre, families enjoy a warm and respectful environment where they find support in each other, in visiting professionals, and in the caring staff who understand how to connect people with the help they need,” according to The Tree's Facebook site.

The program supplies families with healthy food, peer-based social support, connections to professional services, clothing and baby equipment. Health and parenting workshops and children’s circle time are offered.

“Our mothers for recovery support group provides a safe, non-judgmental, nurturing environment where moms can heal and share,” according to the site. “We build trust, relationships, and new lives for those who have been or are pregnant and seek recovery from substance use.”

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