Fines to Freedom: Hollie’s Path with the 100 Families Initiative

When Hollie Reyes stood in front of a judge, she thought she was going to jail. She had accumulated years of unpaid fines — failures to appear, driving on a suspended license — all stemming from a long season of crisis. She was escaping a 20-year abusive marriage and living in a shelter with her children.

Instead, the judge handed her something unexpected that day — a referral to the 100 Families Initiative, a community model designed to help families in crisis move toward stability and self-sufficiency.

Hollie then met Latosha, her 100 Families Initiative advocate, who helped her stay calm and make a plan. “I didn’t know how to stay sober, pay bills, or feed my kids,” Hollie said. “But we started small—like applying for SNAP benefits. Just checking something off the list made me feel hopeful again.”

When she went back to court, Latosha was there, too. For the first time, Hollie had someone in her corner. “I’d never had support like that before,” she said. “It felt different. I felt like I could actually get through it.”

Step by step, they worked through every barrier—finding a home, restoring her driver’s license after five years, and exploring job options that fit her life as a mom to a son with disabilities. 

“LaTosha showed up for me,” Hollie said. “Even when I lost my job, it wasn’t, ‘You failed.’ It was, ‘Okay, what do we do next?’”

Because of her son’s disabilities, traditional jobs were hard to maintain. So her team helped her explore new options, including going back to school. Today, Hollie attends the WAGE Center, where she’s earning a business certificate and preparing for a more stable future. She’s been sober for two years, has a steady home, and a driver’s license that she’s proud to keep.

“I didn’t think I was going to get through it,” Hollie said. “But I did. Because someone cared enough to walk with me.”

More than anything, Hollie says, it was the relationships that made the difference. “They kept me accountable, but they also loved me,” she said. “I can sit with my kids, play board games, and not live in survival mode anymore.”