Invest in people, not prisons

Client Stories

Every person who comes through our doors has a story.

A client holding the keys to a new apartment A client holding the keys to a new apartment A client holding the keys to a new apartment A client holding the keys to a new apartment A client holding the keys to a new apartment
Jessica Vega holding a puppy

Woonsocket Shelter and She Thrives

Jessica Vega

“It was like a miracle. It was like they changed my head.”

In the fall of 2025, Jessica was homeless for the first time in her life, staying at the OpenDoors shelter in Woonsocket and drinking every day. A case manager told her about She Thrives, which pairs housing and recovery support with GLP-1 medication. She didn’t believe it would work. The day of her first injection was the last day she drank.

She has since moved out of the shelter and into an apartment with her daughter, and her children are back in her life.

Read Jessica’s Story Watch the Documentary

Recent Stories

  • Jessica Massarone

    Foundations and She Thrives

    “I used to have a pit in my stomach when I thought about drugs. I had drug dreams. They are gone.”

    Jessica Massarone

    Read More
  • Julissa

    Women and Children’s House

    “Everything happens for a reason. I just have to keep moving on in life so my kids will be proud of me and I’ll be proud.”

    Julissa

    Read More
  • Tyrone in his room

    Master Leasing

    “Hopefully, this is my final stop on the journey with OpenDoors. From here, I’d like to find my own housing.”

    Tyrone

    Read More
  • Keven and Jayne

    Woonsocket Shelter

    “I’m grateful because at least I’m not in the street. It’s a place to live for now until eventually I get my own apartment.”

    Keven and Jayne

    Read More
  • Debra Duquette at the Pawtucket shelter

    Pawtucket Shelter

    “When you have nothing, having a roof over your head, a bed to sleep on, and three meals a day is the world.”

    Debra Duquette

    Read More
  • Lashara Newkirk

    Resource Center to Kitchen Manager

    “This is like the closest thing to a home-cooked meal. It’s comfort food, and it encourages them that they’ll have a home soon.”

    Lashara Newkirk

    Read More
  • Ron Senechal

    Motel 6 Shelter

    “This is not just a roof over your head, it’s an opportunity.”

    Ron Senechal

    Read More

Past Client Stories

Stories from earlier years of OpenDoors.

Help write the next story

Your support gives people a safe place to sleep, a path to recovery, and a fair chance at a new start.

Donate