When Rebecca Butler first connected with the 100 Families Initiative, she was working just three hours a week at a local radio station—the only job she could find due to a charge on her record. Though grateful for the opportunity, she knew it wasn’t enough to rebuild stability or regain custody of her children.
Behind that moment stood years of struggle. As she openly shares, “Before I got connected with 100 families, my life was basically full of like addiction, bad decisions, a whole bunch of different things that really led me down a pretty bad path. I dealt with really, really bad addiction. I was addicted to a few different types of drugs.”
Rebecca lost custody of her children and was incarcerated, a period that would unexpectedly spark her turning point. In jail, she found a renewed sense of grounding.
“It was when I was incarcerated, was when I really got back connected with God. I started reading my Bible more, and once I got out of there, I went and admitted myself into rehab.”
From there, she began a period of healing: “I had a time in a hospital, took a little bit of medication, you know, got myself back on the right path.”
The transformation that followed reflects the power of both personal commitment and wraparound community support.
“My life now, after connecting with 100 families is actually brighter,” she said. She credits much of that progress to her advocate: “I do believe, due to Miss Elesha and all her amazing staff that work with her, she's helped me, you know, try and find myself and find my spark again. She's connected me with jobs. Multiple different outlets for helping me with housing and getting my children back, getting full 100% custody of my children.”
Rebecca continued to climb. She is now working as a phlebotomist. She has a house and a car.
“Everything is much better now,” she said. “They do what they say they're going to do… they really are there.”
Rebecca’s story stands as a powerful testament to resilience, restoration, and the belief that every family can thrive with the right support.
Smart Justice is a magazine, podcast, and continuing news coverage from the nonprofit Restore Hope and covers the pursuit of better outcomes on justice system-related issues, such as child welfare, incarceration, and juvenile justice. Our coverage is solutions-oriented, focusing on the innovative ways in which communities are solving issues and the lessons that have been learned as a result of successes and challenges.
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