A new start... "I am so happy, absolutely happy, to be in this place," says Rhonda D. about her move into the cozy three-room cottage that sits behind Chalila House proper, but is part of the same program. "I never expected to get a place like this." For Rhonda, any home at all would be a welcome respite after a devastating divorce fueled her ongoing struggle with mental illness and substance abuse — and resulted in three years of homelessness. But today, thanks to her commitment to drug treatment and OHI's commitment to finding her a safe place to live, Rhonda has ended up with a better life and more possibilities than she ever imagined. She spends a lot of her time organizing and cleaning her new home — she meticulously mops the wood floors with Pine Sol to protect them from the grime that gets tracked in — and reading Steven King novels. She's also worked hard to regain visitation rights to her three daughters — ages 12, nine and six — and looks forward to having them over to bake cookies and watch movies. Now 41, Rhonda says she worked as a paralegal in the past and spent more than 20 years waiting tables, and she's proud of those accomplishments as well as of her growing independence. "I'm much more stable, my whole life is more stable," says Rhonda. "I'm not worrying about how to survive. I smile. I have hope for the future." Just what that future holds is hard to say. But, right now, says OHI Manager of Community Support Services Vyvyenne Ritchie, Rhonda is doing just what she should be doing — putting her life back together and enjoying the fact that, finally, she's safe."