"My experience at Starfish Place has been transformative. There were areas in life where I thought I had things together, and Starfish Place pushed me to be even better than I was. I have learned so much from living here and truly believe that I have grown exponentially. I am forever grateful" - Starfish Resident

"During my childhood I was abused sexually, verbally and exploited. During my teenage years, I was assaulted sexually and abused and then as an adult I was also assaulted and in two long term abusive relationships. I was definitely under this impression that I was worthless. I built myself up by self-abuse and dangerous, risky habits. I also used intimacy as a means to an end after being taught it by a pimp at barely turning eighteen. After going into treatment for three years, I still have this issue with myself worth and didn’t feel like I was ever going to find a place where I could work on my trauma while in a safe and healthy environment.

Finding starfish has been truly a miracle!

I can practice my independence while living in a safe environment and raise my daughter. I am accepted and cared for, truly, while still working on myself. There are no hidden agendas or negative and unhealthy relationships. I have had nothing but incredibly compassionate and supportive experiences since moving in. It has been an answered prayer to find a place for me to transition from new recovery to maintaining that recovery and practicing and growing with my newly learned life and budgeting skills. I also am able to go to groups and truly focus because of the amazing childcare that is provided to us while we are in our treatment groups.

I still have to pinch myself every now and then to realize I am actually living this life, in my beautiful apartment . I cannot express how grateful, comfortable and safe I feel! This is the first time since I lived in my grandparents' home that I spent my teenage years in, that I have actually felt like I had a home. And I get to give that gift to my innocent and amazing daughter. Thank you , from the bottom of my heart" - Starfish Resident

"Recovering from this lifestyle has been an uphill journey, but to say the least it's been so worth it. I have learned so much about myself in my journey and I'm so grateful for the people I have met through it all. They have made me see how powerful I am and how much I deserve. I truly believe there are pros and cons to everything in life, and I have realized in my recovery that I am able to have meaningful moments with my child and my family without worrying about my next move or watching over my shoulder. I have realized that I'm a resilient woman and I am worth so much more than what this life has given me. Obviously, there are struggles when moving forward yet all the struggles are worth the benefits. My transition into living a ' normal ' life did not come without bumps in the road, but I'm so grateful for all the bumps and I've learned so much. I know what I am worth. I know what my son is worth and I will never settle for less" - Starfish Resident

"Phoenix Starfish Place has provided me with the safe and secure environment to extend my healing far beyond what I could imagine. In 9 months, I have been able to gain and maintain employment, begin college classes, obtain a level one fingerprint clearance card, integrate my son back into my life on a regular basis, and provide the best care for my young daughter. I have been able to accomplish all of this while simultaneously addressing my trauma. Starfish has helped me turn my dreams into a reality. I get to live it out every day and I am forever grateful" - Starfish Resident