Navy Veteran Taylor Cash served her country as a radio operator from 2004 through 2008. A Little Rock native, she graduated from Sheridan High School in 2202. While in the Navy, she married and had a son. “I still have family here, my father and uncle, and my mom and stepdad. My son lives with them.”
After the Navy, Ms. Cash entered nursing school. “My husband and I both used occasionally, and it didn’t seem like a big deal. But when we divorced in 2012, I went into a tailspin. I dropped out of nursing school and began using regularly. I began dating someone else and he used as well. I was arrested for stealing…not for drugs, but because I wanted to give my son and hmy boyfriend’s kids a good Christmas. After that I went to Fort Roots and into their sober living program.”
Ms. Cash stayed sober for four years. She began working at the VA as a nurses aide, first through the Compensated Work Therapy program and then in 2017 was hired on full-time. “I began using again. I quit my job and was unemployed for about a year. I got clean again in 2022 and stayed clean for two years.”
Ms. Cash stopped taking her mental health medication in 2024 and that decision led to her losing her sobriety. “I was picked up in November and taken to the hospital one night, but I was released. I had nowhere to go and it was freezing! I climbed in the cab of an unlocked truck to get warm and fell asleep. I woke t a very angry owner and was arrested. Again I was released the next day. I got my car and lived in it until this January.
I missed my court date and spent two months in jail because of that. When I got out, I didn’t want to burden my family, but I needed a place to stay and stay sober. That’s how I got here at St. Francis House.”
Ms. Cash is back on the road to recovery and is making plans for the future. “I’m scared to death of the next two years. I’ve never really been on my own. Staying with my dad was great, but I’m ready to try it on my own even though it will be hard.”
Ms. Cash is working on her mental health and on her sobriety. She has found a church home and is already giving back to the community helping with their outreach to the homeless. She is also hoping to find employment. “This may sound silly, but my long-term goal is to work at the deaf school. I took a sign language course once and found it fascinating.” And she is already
Ms. Cash continued, “Not everyone has good experiences as a Veteran, but I’m thankful for the services I’ve received.”