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A New Way of Life Reentry Project, Inspirational Quotes, Inspirational Women, Quotes, ShowStoppers, ShowStoppers Fashion Tape, Susan Burton, Women Entrepreneurs
“Magic happened.” – Susan Burton
The movies, literature and news relay the struggles of life after prison, but Susan Burton has personally lived through it over a span of 20 years. She recounts the story as dismal. When released from prison, Los Angeles ex-offenders are given $200 in pocket cash and are dropped off at a bus terminal in Downtown. Hopeful for new beginnings, these female ex-offenders, more often than not, find their way to Skid Row, only blocks from their drop off point, where temptation to join hands with pimps and drug dealers rears its ugly head. In response to this reoccurrence, Burton, in 1998, established a reentry program, A New Way of Life Reentry Project, to give female offenders a place to find recovery and prospect for a promising future. Burton was raised in the East L.A. projects, where she mothered a beautiful son. In 1981, at age 5, Burton’s child was accidentally hit and killed by a car, beginning a downward spiral for Burton. To cope with her heartache, Burton turned to heavy drugs, and was eventually imprisoned. Shortly after her release, Burton ended up back in prison. This pattern continued for six prison terms, until Burton willed herself into sobriety via a rehab facility in 1997. Here, she not only cleaned up, but also found inspiration to help other women stuck in the drug-prison cycle. Beginning as a live-in caregiver, Burton saved enough money until she was able to purchase a house that she converted into a place for recovery. Provided with food, clothing and transportation, women were encouraged to face their pasts, heal and find strength together. Today, Burton owns five homes, which can each support 22 women at a time. Funded by an array of private foundations, Burton is able to focus her energy less on the monetary side of her business and more on integrating recovering offenders back into society. Burton personally picks up new arrivals either at the bus station or prison gates and greets her future residents with a signature line, “Welcome Home.” Burton help women get ID cards so that they can begin work and regain custody of their children. Also, to encourage women to stay on track, Burton requires that her residents stay sober, attend 12-step meetings, and undergo drug treatment, enroll in school, or get a job. When the women choose to branch out independently, Burton aids in their home hunt and furnishings. In response to having rescued over 400 women, Burton says it simply: “Magic happened.”