Light of Truth Center, Inc. (LTC) continues to shine brightly in the lives of woman who have struggled with addiction. Karen Hall, who has been with LTC since April 26, 2017 is among them. Founded by the Rev. Vaile Leonard, LTC provides residential therapeutic treatment for women recovering from addictions.
“I have been here since April 26, 2017,” said Hall. “I found out about LTC one day, when I was on the computer. Being here has been a wonderful experience. Being in a house like this makes a difference when you are trying to heal and recover.”
Constance Mann Leonard and Karla Jenkins during LTC’s Open House event.
LTC operates homes located at 224 N. Patterson Park Avenue, where Hall resides, and at 1736 Payson Street. Women living in the homes work on a self-improvement plan while living as a family unit to support their own and each other’s recovery process. The homes have been credited with helping dozens of women overcome drug addiction.
LTC will be opening additional locations at 1933 W. Lafayette Avenue and 902 N. Wheeler Avenue.
“I am so happy here,” said Hall. “The women here are nice. We have our differences, and we are all different, but what we have in common is the disease of addiction, and wanting to recover. Words cannot describe how I feel. I am so overjoyed.”
Hall reflected on her decision to contact LTC.
“It started with marijuana,” recalled Hall. “I then went on to use alcohol, cocaine, and then heroin, which was the worst. If I did not have it, I could not function and I was sick. My son looked in my eyes with tears and told me I looked a mess. I had already thought about going in anyway, but that was it.”
She added, “I felt beaten up all the time, didn’t have nothing, and allowed people to do all kinds of things to me that I didn’t want them to do. I was sick of me. I was just done. I used drugs for 23 years, and now I have two years clean. My son and the rest of my family are so proud. God can clean you as white as snow. I thank Him for Rev. Vaile Leonard and this program.”
Vanessa Smith Boissiere also resides at LTC.
“I have been here five years,” said Smith Boissiere. “I am an introvert, and would go off to myself. However, since I have been here, I have learned to socialize with the ladies, and picked up some good friends. Rev. Vaile is fantastic. I used to have multiple addictions, but now I am 14 years clean. Recovery has been great.”
Rev. Leonard, who is a former heroin addict, says stories like Hall’s and Smith Boissiere’s serve as proof that the program works.
“We are here to create fertile ground in an environment that is conducive to change and that eliminates barriers that these women face, such as the fear of no place to live, no food, imminent violence, and disapproval from family and friends,” said Rev. Leonard.
She added, “We then replace those barriers with things like a nice place to stay, warm meals, and teaching them to love themselves. We replace fear with unconditional love and are consistent about it. There is no judgement. We serve with the pure joy of giving, with no expectation of anything in return. We are ecstatic about opening the additional locations. We will now have a total of five buildings – four residential and one training, which is located at 2233 Orleans Street.”
Light of Truth recently held an Open House event at its Patterson Avenue location.
“Some people are frightened by what we do, but they should not be,” said Rev. Leonard. “So we wanted to invite them in to show them exactly what we do. The atmosphere here is conducive to recovery and provides housing to keep these women safe and off the streets.”
Leonard is the recipient of numerous honors and awards for her work.
“What kept me out there using for so long is that I didn’t know what was going on with my body,” said Leonard. “Now, I realize all that I went through was for my soul’s unfoldment. I am on fire for God, and realize that everything that happened was supposed to happen to help others.”
For more information about LTC call (443) 414-7562 or visit www.lightoftruthcenter.org