Sunshine Stories

Mark was only 12 when he started drinking alcohol to excess, smoking weed, and taking pills. Not long after he began shooting heroin, mimicking what the older people around him...

To mark Overdose Awareness Day 2024, read Devin's Sunshine Story by guest contributor Theo Fountain. This powerful story is unique, featuring a person in recovery from drug use...

By: James Sherman When I first came to Prevention Point Philadelphia (PPP), I had abscesses on both of my wrists. I was hesitant to go to the hospital because of a previous...

When, for the first time, Crystal and her husband have a small apartment of their own, they’re having a big party and everyone from Prevention Point Philadelphia is invited: Dee...

Eric never thought he’d make it to 30. He began using heroin when he was 19, overdosing twice. “There was no way I was going to make it through my 20s,” says Eric, now 33. He...

Portrait of Jackie: Kit Ramsey Jackie’s life was a struggle from the start. Born and raised in Kensington, her childhood was marked by sexual abuse and neglect. When, at age 14...

I always tell people Prevention Point saved my life because it did. When Cherry was first living on the streets of Kensington about two years ago, she sought safety in numbers...

During the years he lived unhoused and using drugs on the streets of Kensington, Theo was beaten, robbed, and assaulted. He suffered horrible, life-threatening injuries and...

Donna grew up in Kensington and sometimes takes her 15-year-old daughter back to the old neighborhood. But she isn’t there to visit friends or family. Instead, she drives down...

Portrait by Hilary Swift for The New York Times At her lowest point, Tracey was sleeping on sidewalks. She was a frequent robbery victim, having even her belly button ring stolen...