BREAKING THE CYCLE

This East Dallas nonprofit keeps families together, even in the throes of addiction

By WILL MADDOX

Photos by DANNY FULGENCIO

s the adopted daughter of a professor at Dallas Theological Seminary and a stay-at-home mom, Audrey Crouch’s outwardly pleasant childhood masked her own personal demons.

She dabbled with alcohol and marijuana at 12, which gave way to cocaine and ecstasy. By 16, her parents sent her to Missouri for her first round of rehab.

“It was a center for rich kids that were acting out,” Crouch says.

She, and her demons, then headed back to Dallas. Heroin and crack were her drugs of choice in her 20s.

She was a 26-year-old addict with a 1-year-old child when she found her way to Nexus Recovery Center, a substance abuse treatment facility for women and teen girls. Because of Nexus’ unique model, Crouch was able to keep her one-year old son with her as she went through treatment. After five months of treatment, she reestablished herself and her sense of normalcy.

But it wouldn’t last.

Her relapse sparked a three-year slide into addiction that led to stints in jail, homelessness and losing custody of her two children. Realizing she’d hit rock bottom, she called her parents for help.

“Each time in treatment makes a difference,” she says. “It is a stepping stone to being sober for a long time.”

Crouch has been clean for 13 years, time she’s used to transform her present into something that is unrecognizable from her past. She is married now, and has adopted

NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING State Highway (SH) 78 (Garland Road/East Grand Avenue) at Gaston Avenue Intersection Improvement Dallas County, Texas CSJ: 0009-02-067

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), in conjunction with the City of Dallas, will conduct a Public Meeting for the purpose of soliciting public comments on the proposed intersection improvement of State Highway (SH) 78 (Garland Road/East Grand Avenue) at the intersection with Gaston Avenue in the City of Dallas, Texas. The meeting will be held at the Dallas Arboretum –Rosine Hall, located at 8525 Garland Road, Dallas, TX 75218, on Thursday, January 18, 2018, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The Public Meeting will be an Open House format with no formal presentation.

The proposed project would consist of reconfiguring the SH 78/Gaston Avenue intersection to improve traffic operations and mobility. The improvements would include the addition of bicycle and pedestrian accommodations. The proposed project would require additional ROW to accommodate the proposed improvements.

Maps showing the proposed project’s location and geometric design will be available for viewing at the public meeting. The public meeting notice and venue map will also be available online at www.keepitmovingdallas.com under Upcoming Public Hearing/Meeting.

All interested persons are invited to attend this Public Meeting and express their views on the proposed project. Written comments from the public regarding this project are requested and will be accepted for a period of 15 calendar days following the meeting. Written comments may be submitted either in person, or by mail to: Travis Owens, P.E., TxDOT, Dallas District Office, 4777 East US Highway 80, Mesquite, TX 75150, or email travis.owens@txdot.gov. Written comments must be postmarked by February 2, 2018, to be included in the Public Meeting Summary.

Persons interested in attending this meeting who have special communication or accommodation needs are encouraged to contact the TxDOT Dallas District Public Information Office at (214) 320-4480 at least two working days prior to the meeting. Because the Public Meeting will be conducted in English, any requests for language interpreters or other special communication needs should also be made at least two (2) days prior to the Public Meeting. Every reasonable effort will be made to accommodate these needs.

The environmental review, consultation, and other actions required by applicable Federal environmental laws for this project are being, or have been, carried-out by TxDOT pursuant to 23 U.S.C. 327 and a Memorandum of Understanding dated December 16, 2014, and executed by FHWA and TxDOT.