For a young woman from a small, tight-knit family on Milwaukee’s North Side, whose father was a drug counselor, addiction to drugs was not something LaToya Crain ever imagined for herself. She still isn’t sure why she tried crack cocaine when she had the chance, but she believes the downward spiral began with the death of her mother in 2009. “I turned to alcohol in my grief,” she said, “and I was in denial that I had a problem. I believe it was a gateway for me.”
Grieving the death of her mom, her uncle, and then the sudden death of her closest cousin, LaToya’s life began to unravel. She became involved with a man who used crack cocaine, and soon tried the drug herself. “I confided so much in this guy. He was doing drugs, and I was curious. I felt I could handle it, that I could do the drug and be ok.”

Grieving the death of her mom, her uncle, and then the sudden death of her closest cousin, LaToya’s life began to unravel.

Yet the crack cocaine took hold of her the moment she took it. “I was existing for that drug for the next year and a half. I was so miserable, and the misery of the drug made me want to do [the drug] again.”

That’s when she was introduced to JobsWork MKE. As part of the two-week program, LaToya had to take a drug test, which she failed. “JobsWork is serious about this stuff, and they want to know you’re serious, so I wasn’t able to continue the program.”

She reached out to her dad for help, but he wasn’t willing to help her yet. “That drove me deeper into drugs,” LaToya notes, “knowing that he was helping others as a drug counselor, but he wouldn’t help me.” Looking back, she sees how drugs made her into someone she never wanted to be. “I had no money, and I would try to borrow from my family, thinking I was fooling them. I wasn’t.”

When her boyfriend threw her out into the cold one February night, LaToya knew she had to make a real change. “I knew I had to get my life back, to become the person I am now,” noted LaToya. This time, her family knew she was ready for help, and they were ready to provide it. After completing a three-month rehabilitation program and moving in with her Auntie, LaToya returned to JobsWork.

“I knew I had to get my life back, to become the person I am now,”

“I wasn’t sure JobsWork would take me back, but they welcomed me with open arms.” This time she landed a job working as housekeeper for Froedtert Hospitals. But her story wasn’t over. A few months into her new job, LaToya started using again. “I turned my back on God…I was feeling myself with [doing my] nails, shopping, and I didn’t lean on God. In my mind I had a car, I had money, and my mind said I could get back on the drugs.”

Too embarrassed to tell the team at JobsWork, LaToya began to have setbacks at work. “I’m playing at my hours, calling in, getting writen up for occurrences.” Knowing she would be fired if she didn’t stop using, LaToya made a bold move. She left the north side of Milwaukee and moved to the south side, away from the neighborhood and people she knew. “I didn’t want to lose my job or go to rehab. I had to turn my back on the

north side…and I’ve never looked back.” LaToya stopped using drugs and alcohol and worked hard to improve at work. For the next four years, she received raises, plus awards for performance and atendance. “I started to realize that this was therapy for me. Just focusing on my job.”

“I started to realize that this was therapy for me. Just focusing on my job.”

She has continued to turn to JobsWork to help her move forward. JobsWork has helped her open a bank account and is helping her to regain her driver’s license. She is part of the JobsWork Savings to Wealth program that gathers monthly. “We talk about how we can improve ourselves financially and save money for things like a car or a house. Now you can get a match on your savings as well,” notes LaToya, through JobsWork’s RocketLaunch program.

When she was struggling with a supervisor at work, JobsWork provided mentoring to help her navigate the situation. “JobsWork is kind of like a family to me now,” LaToya says. “I can use the computer here, the copy machine, work with them to refresh my resume, or talk to them about personal issues. I’ve introduced them to my father, too.”

LaToya also participates in a JobsWork Worker Resiliency Group. It meets monthly to discuss wellness, mental health, and how JobsWorks Members can support each other and the community. They also learn about job advancement opportunities.

After four years on the job, LaToya is ready for that next step. A few months ago, she signed up for a medical training program to become a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA). In early October, she was accepted. She is thrilled to begin her journey toward beter pay and greater opportunities.

In October, LaToya was accepted into a medical training program to become a Certified Nursing Assistant.

“I thank God every day. I’m not here to tell you my life is all unicorns and lollipops,” she admits. “It’s not. I’ve had to fight the urges of addiction.”

Because of her struggle, her faith is deep, and LaToya has a new humility for others who may be struggling. “It feels good to be able to help a person, to be good to people even if they’re doing wrong,” says LaToya. She carries her faith and care for others to her workplace, beginning each day with a Bible passage and a prayer. “I love my job. I love the hospital. I can retire here, but not from my current role in housekeeping. I want to be beter.” With JobsWork MKE at her side, along with family and her faith, LaToya continues to push forward, to create the life she has dreamed of.

“ I can retire here, but not from my current role in housekeeping. I want to be better.”

To those who might consider working with JobsWork MKE, LaToya is quick to offer her advice: “Don’t think twice. Go for it. I don’t know too many places that go to the extent that they go, where you can come back to JobsWork for virtually anything.”