After enduring what could be the most difficult tests of their lives, nine women in Hanford will celebrate their graduation on Sunday.

They are members of the first graduating class of Hannah's House, the Hanford shelter for homeless women and children, and though they won't be receiving a diploma or degree, they've triumphed over several obstacles and managed to put order back into their shattered lives.

Tonya Edwards, 34, and Victoria Rios, 26, are among the first graduates to move out of the house and are working toward putting back together the pieces of their lives that were left in shambles after being addicted to meth.

While at the house they became sober and learned life lessons on everything from parenting to budgeting, and both are now beginning to rebuild their futures.

Founder and executive director of Hannah's House Sue Weisenhaus-Braz opened the faith-based organization in October 2007 specifically to reach out to homeless women in need because she's walked in their shoes.

"We put an arm around them and have lovingly walked them through a lot of tough times," Weisenhaus-Braz said. "I am very proud of them, and if people could only realize how much they themselves have invested in this."

One day at a time

For all of the graduates their battle began with making the choice to seek help, and for Edwards that came on Feb. 9, 2007 when a judge stripped away her parental rights for four of her seven children.

"On that day I just wanted to die," Edwards said.

She spent five days in jail after having her kids taken away because of child neglect and because she was found under the influence of meth -- a drug she had used for nearly 14 years before entering recovery on July 7, 2007.

Edwards enrolled herself in the Mothering Heights program in Visalia when she was pregnant with her youngest son, Anthony, in July 2007, where she lived for six months prior to becoming one of the first residents of Hannah's House.

She lived at Hannah's House until February 2009 where she said she learned invaluable lessons about parenting and character, but said her biggest accomplishment was getting to see her two oldest children after not being allowed to for more than a year.

She now has custody of her 1-year-old son, and is looking forward to her son, Andrew, 8, and daughter Sabrina, 11, moving in with her this summer.

"Because I'm doing the right thing, everything is just falling into place," Edwards said. "I know that if I continue to do what I'm supposed to do that I'm gonna continue being blessed."

Edwards is devastated by the fact that she has permanently lost custody of four of her children who were adopted and have been living with a family since 2007.

"My plan is to stay clean, and hopefully they'll come look for me when they're 18," she said.

As she approaches the two-year anniversary of her sobriety in July, she said she takes it one day at a time and continues to be hopeful about the future.

She recently finished her first semester at West Hills College, Lemoore, which she said was challenging because the last time she was in school was 11 years ago.

This summer she will continue to take classes online and in the fall she will begin working for a catering company in Armona.

"I can't change the past, but I can change today," Edwards said. "Every day, one day at a time, so that's how I live now. Nobody knows what tomorrow will bring."

A new beginning

When Rios, 26, made the decision to enter Hannah's House in August 2007, she was battling an addiction to meth and her four children were in the custody of Child Protective Services.

Now she has been sober for nearly two years and has been living back with her four children and husband Martin Rios since May 2008 after completing the program at Hannah's House.

She decided to move into Hannah's House days after leaving the Visalia Rescue Mission where she had lived for the previous week.

"I had to do it; if I didn't I wouldn't get my kids back and my family most likely wouldn't be together right now," Rios said.

Rios used meth with her husband for more than six years before making the choice that would set her on the path she is following today.

Before moving into Hannah's House, Rios' husband had been incarcerated for 18 months for possession of a controlled substance, and she said that she and her children were living with anybody who would take her in.

That was until November 2006 when the Hanford Police Department found her high on meth and her kids were taken by Child Protective Services.

The children lived for six months with Rios' sister before moving in with a foster family for four months and then moving in with Rios at Hannah's House for six months. She said she is grateful for the support and lessons she learned while at Hannah's House.

"That's like the main thing is the structure and the parenting help," Rios said.

She now enjoys being a mother to Andrew, 8, Krystal, 5, Katreena, 3 and Emmanuel, 1, and is in the process of earning her high school diploma.

Her husband was released from prison in July 2007 and she said he's been sober since then. He recently received his GED.

Since Rios left Hannah's House, they've enjoyed getting to know each other all over again because they were on drugs during the first six years of their relationship.

"In our addiction, we didn't know each other," Rios said.

She said she learned a lot about her addiction through a survivors' group at Hannah's House, which helped her deal with issues from her past, including the death of her father when she was 12.

Now she said she is focused on being a good mother but hopes one day to pursue higher education.

"It's about my family now, whereas before it was just about me," Rios said.

This reporter can be reached at 583-2427.

(May 30, 2009)