When Qiana Lee arrived at Samaritan House, she was in the middle of active addiction.
“At the beginning, I was feeling my addiction very much,” she said. “I didn’t have any intention of changing.”
For the first five months, she continued using drugs and alcohol. At night, she would sit in her car, drape herself in a blanket and use.
“I did a little cocktail of drugs and alcohol. I didn’t have the tools to stop and didn’t want to stop.”
Then everything unraveled.
In May 2025, she totaled her car. Two weeks later, she lost her job. Without transportation, she began riding the bus to get what she needed so that she could keep using. Every bump in the road made her feel like something terrible was about to happen.
“I always had this feeling of ultimate doom.”
One day, she walked three miles to get drugs. After that purchase, something shifted. “I thought, the devil is trying to kill me.”
She rode the bus back to Samaritan House, slept the high off and never used again. “That was my last bus ride.”
About six months into her stay, Qiana made what she calls a “crunchy, anxious decision” to get clean.
“I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. Either I’m going to give this up now and let God help me, or I’m going to die.”
When she looked in the mirror during those early sober days, she was shocked.
“I was about 90 pounds soaking wet. I looked like a demon. I had zero self-esteem. Zero confidence.”
She expected sobriety to fix everything quickly. It didn’t. It took five months for her body to begin looking healthy again. Even after she stopped using, she said she still “looked like a tweaker” for a while. Employers passed on her. She felt discouraged.
Throughout her time at Samaritan House, caseworkers walked alongside her and other residents, helping them set goals, connect to employment and housing resources, navigate barriers and build practical plans for stability and long-term independence.
Theresa Brooks, Employment Navigator at Samaritan House, believed in her from the beginning. Even when Qiana hesitated, Theresa continued encouraging her to consider the Ready to Work program.
“Theresa kept on me.”
Theresa saw Qiana’s potential even when Qiana doubted herself. Through her relationships with staff at Ready to Work, a program by Boulder Bridge House that provides adults experiencing homelessness a unique opportunity to rebuild their lives through work, she helped advocate for Qiana to move directly into the work side of the program rather than going through the more intensive navigation phase first.
“That was a true blessing,”
Eventually, Qiana said yes.
Today, Qiana is nine months sober and actively participating in the Ready to Work program.
“Ready to Work saved my life.”
The yearlong program is structured and demanding. Participants live on site, share rooms and pay rent. One-third of their paycheck goes to rent, one-third to savings and one-third directly to them. By graduation this fall, Qiana will have $2,500 to $3,000 saved and solid rental history established.
The program partners with municipalities including the City of Lakewood, Adams County and Sheridan.
Qiana currently works for the City of Lakewood and has purchased another car.
Inside the shared living space, she focuses on her goal.
“No matter who they move into that room, I’m not going to let anything stop me from graduating. I will walk across that stage in October. Period.”
When asked what she sees in the mirror now, her answer is completely different than it was one year ago.
“I see my inner beauty. I see a bold woman walking with determination toward my destination.” She says she feels comfortable in her own skin. She treats people well. She carries herself differently. “I know I’ve got it going on.”
Qiana hopes to work within the justice system, specifically in a courthouse. She once struggled with fines herself and remembers how overwhelming they felt.
“I want to help people set up payment plans. Even if it’s $25 a month. Those fines can feel crippling.”
When asked to describe Samaritan House in one sentence, she keeps it direct.
“It was a stepping stone for me.”
A person standing in front of a door
She made a decision on a bus ride.
She followed through.
She is sober.
She is employed.
She is saving money.
She is preparing to graduate.
And she intends to keep moving forward.