CEO & Executive Director
Jada Fiorentino, CPS-AD
CEO & Executive Director, Jada Fiorentino is devoted to helping women to help each other at New Life House of Hope.
Something had to change, my life was dark…I was full of hate, multiple trips to jail, homelessness and living on a trail of disaster.
I self-medicated my mental health issues, until even the drugs and alcohol didn’t work. I tried and tried to stop. I simply could not stop doing what I was doing no matter what I tried. I didn’t complete anything I started. I didn’t know how to be a friend, much less a mom. I tried controlled drinking. I tried controlling my drug use. I tried religion, and I even tried hospitalization. Things couldn’t have gotten much worse than a failed suicide attempt, then I met someone in jail who told me about AA.
Today, one day at a time, I choose life over death. I choose relationships and motherhood. My children and I are close. I am in a position today where I get to walk out of the darkness and help other women’s lives get into the light.
I no longer have to, I get to. I go to work and I’m a productive member of society. I have a home; cars and I have a heart today. I share love and laughter with my family and AA. For those of you who are struggling, welcome home. Welcome to New Life House.
Jada is a Certified Addiction Recovery Empowerment Specialist. Trained in Moral Recognition Therapy, in addition is certified as a trainer in MRT and SOAR, Science of Addiction and Recovery. CPR / First Aid certified for infant and adults, Narcan specialist.
Program Director
Kristin Carlan
For 25 years, all I knew was the numbing effects of drugs. I used to kill the physical pain, mental pain and emotional pain. I used if I was happy, sad or anything in between. It lead me to numerous stays in jail, more felonies and misdemeanors than I cared to count.
I got to a point where I truly believed that type of life was the only one I deserved to live. No matter the cost to myself, my loved ones, my son, or my parents. I was completely miserable and thought there was no way out. I could not stop.
Something, larger than me, stepped in! I was arrested for the last time. They gave me a choice; a recovery residence! I accepted and went to a recovery residence in Athens, GA. From there, I learned how to love myself, love others, be accountable and gain employment. I learned to successfully navigate society and live in my recovery out loud, so others know it is possible too!
I now live a life I never imagined would be possible! I work with women that are trying to overcome the same struggles that I endured. As the Program Director at New Life House of Hope, I have the opportunity to put my past and present to work for a greater purpose.
Today, for the first time in my life, I have peace in my life and my hope is that I may continue to help others find a new way to live, so they too can find peace and joy.
Kristin is CPR / First Aid certified for infant and adults, Narcan specialist.
Case Manager & Peer Support
Sunshine McCoy
Sunshine was raised in the Northeast Georgia Mountains of Rabun County after twenty plus years of battling mental illness and substance abuse disorder, she found recovery in Athens, Georgia. It is where she has built a solid foundation and is living a life of long-term recovery. Sunshine is a small business owner and shares her lived experience as a Certified Addiction Recovery Empowerment Specialist.
She is a Certified Peer Specialist in Addictive Diseases and Mental Health. Sunshine is also a Forensic Peer Mentor, which allows her to work in our jail’s, prisons and institutions. She has a career in the recovery field at Reboot Jackson in Jefferson Georgia. She is trained in Trauma Informed Care, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Moral Recognition Therapy and is on the team of Jackson County Accountability Courts.
Her passion is giving back within the community and working with returning citizens and peers in early in recovery, providing experience-based peer support to those who suffer from substances use and mental health disorders while advocating for self-directed care, her hobbies consist of riding her motorcycle fishing and hunting sports. She also highly values her time with her family and making new memories and enjoying the blessings of her recovery.
Resident Manager
Shenell Slone
Everyone has a rock bottom and I finally found mind at the age of 45, I had reached a point of no return. I hated my life and everything in it. I prayed that God would just let me die so that I didn’t have to deal with life anymore.
I wanted desperately to be normal but I didn’t know how. Then in September 2022, I was arrested for a violation of probation. That was the best thing that could have ever happened! I was court ordered to a recovery residence where I began to thrive and build my foundation and grow my relationship with God.
In February 2023, I was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic cancer. I could have let that news take me back out to using again, but I didn’t. I chose to stay in recovery and wanted to live! Then in July of 2023. I went to a second recovery residence where I was introduced to the 12 steps of N. A. – this is where I learned the tools to stay clean and recover from active addiction, build my network and work on my recovery.
In January 2024, I graduated my recovery house program and began working with New Life House of Hope, helping other women on their journey to overcome addiction. If I can overcome addiction while battling stage 4 cancer, you can recover too!
Shenell is CPR / First Aid certified for infant and adults, Narcan specialist.
Resident Manager / Case Manager
Lyndsey Jones
My life was in complete chaos. I was a slave to drugs and alcohol. I lost everything, my home, my marriage, my job, and my daughter. I almost convinced myself that this was just the way my life was going to be, these were the cards I was dealt.
I had been in programs before, but I had never really surrendered. I never accepted the fact that I couldn’t use any mind altering substance ever again.
My mother was sick with cancer and she asked me if I would try to get sober one more time. In a moment of clarity, I said that I would try.
On March 19, 2022, I came to Athens and became a resident of New Life House. My mom passed away when I was 25 days sober and thanks to the women around me I was able to stay sober through one of the hardest things I have ever been through. Before she died, my mom told me she was proud of me and that was different this time. I graduated from New Life House 12-months later and was offered the opportunity to give back.
By applying the 12-steps and 12-principles of AA in my life daily, all of the things I lost were restored and then some. My relationship with my daughter is better than ever. I have a job that I love. I have an apartment, a car, and most importantly real relationships. Today my life is full and I get to be of service and share my experience, strength and hope with women in the program.
Community Outreach Coordinator
Shawna Watkins, Skyy
I grew up in a single-parent home with no father figure, facing minimal supervision and the overwhelming feeling of abandonment. By the age of 14, I turned to drugs and alcohol as a coping mechanism. Battling depression and anxiety, I found myself stuck in a vicious cycle. During my addiction, I became a mother of four, yet I had no understanding of how to live any other way. I felt hopeless, unable to see a way out.
Over the course of 20 years, I found myself trapped in and out of prison, jail, and institutions. I faced multiple incarcerations and DFACS cases, living in the darkness of addiction and despair. But everything changed in 2023 when I walked through the doors of New Life House of Hope. Despite losing everything, I found a new life there—a chance to rebuild and rediscover myself.
At New Life House of Hope, I learned how to love myself and others unconditionally. This began my true journey of recovery. I learned how to set goals and follow through, and for the first time in a long time, I felt a sense of purpose and connection. I was no longer alone. Through the program, I was able to obtain a car, a home, establish a savings account, improve my credit score, and, most importantly, rebuild trusting relationships with my children and family.
Upon graduation, I was given the opportunity to give back. Today, I proudly serve as a Case Manager at New Life House of Hope and as the Community Outreach Coordinator for Women’s Recovery Resources, a 501(c)(3) organization that supports NLH. I spend my days helping women like myself find the resources they need to embrace recovery and build a better life. Through my experience, I’ve learned that there is always a way out, and nothing is beyond reach. The journey I’ve taken proves that transformation is possible, and recovery is not just a dream, but a reality.
New Life House of Hope 