CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Hope Haven is Mecklenburg County's only licensed facility that houses nearly 300 homeless men, women, and children, where most of the adults are recovering from substance abuse.

Terri Thompson is one of the success stories.

"I have been clean for two years, two months and eight days,” she said.

She's doing well, picking out donated clothes to wear when she starts taking college courses. But five years ago, she said she became addicted to crack and turned to prostitution to pay for it.

“I did a lot of things I didn't want to do to get more crack,” she said.

Desperate, she said she admitted herself to detox then moved to Hope Haven, a residential care facility where chemically dependent adults can get structure and support, and live with their children.

“There is hope here and this is where I got my life back right here,” she said.

Thompson said the key was help from others who had overcome addiction.

“The light bulb went off that if I want what they have, I have got to do what they do,” she said.

It's a community that provides counseling, vocational training, a cafeteria, play areas, and even a free clothes closet.

Alice Harrison is Hope Haven’s CEO. She said in these tough economic times, when so many agencies need help, she's thankful for volunteers who donate to Hope Haven.

“For someone to take the time to choose us, it means a lot and I just want to tell our community thank you for what they do for us - we couldn't survive," she said.

Thompson is grateful too, because it's given her something priceless.

“Someone like me that was a filthy, nasty prostitute. And here I am today clean,” she said.

Thompson plans to start her college courses on Monday.

If you'd like to donate to Hope Haven to help others trying to re-build their lives, call 704-372-8809.