Women Walking in Victory develops bonds to support a lifetime of recovery The path to recovery often follows a history of darkness Mutual stories of hope Women occupy seven of the 15 houses of Women Walking in Victory and Empowered Men Service Center (WWV & EMSC). Each house is its own unique unit of personality, and a sense of unity flows
and isolation brought on by a sense of distrust and self-reliance necessary for survival. At Women Walking in Victory (WWIV), women learn to step into the light of trusting faith, step by step, surrounded by spiritual warmth and caring peers, according to founder and CEO Renee Payton. “I listen to a lot of [clients’] stories about how they don’t trust women, they don’t like women,” she says, “but after being around the atmosphere they allow their guard to be pushed down.” The change doesn’t happen instantly. It takes perseverance, it takes stamina, and it requires “taking down the walls” they developed to survive in their addictions, says Payton. Recovery never ends, and the ones who keep it up long term are the ones able to trust enough to share their experiences of struggle, strength and hope, and care enough to listen to others.
throughout them all. Each day strengthens the women’s bonds with one another through organized meetings and passing encounters, starting out with a daily morning meditation. During the meditation, the floor is open for residents to come together and speak about what is on their minds without fear of judgment. Worries, concerns and personal struggles are brought out in the open and met with constructive feedback; at other times the women simply provide a listening ear. “When they begin to open up and start talking about the things they went through,” Payton says, “a lot of times somebody in the house will speak up and say, ‘You know what? I’ve been through that, too.’” In relating to the life experiences of others, spiritual and emotional ties form among women from diverse backgrounds, each with her own unique, but often familiar, history. “When they begin to open up and start talking about the things they went through … somebody in the house will speak up and say, ‘You know what? I’ve been through that, too.’” -Renee Payton founder and CEO of WWIV and EMSC
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