Eleanor Cassa Jauregui
Eleanor is the youngest member of a family of five. Her mother was a member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe and her dad is Hispanic. After the untimely death of her sister when Eleanor was just three years old, their lives took a drastically different course. As often happens when a family loses a child, the parents were unable to cope with the loss. Eleanor's mother left the children with their father and disappeared onto the streets of Phoenix. Her father sought refuge in the bottle.
A migrant worker and ranch hand, her dad's work was sporadic. His drinking brought violence and further instability to their family. They lived from one place to the next, never a home of their own and often in the back of a truck. Her brothers, Michael and Richard, would take the brunt of the physical abuse, while the girls, Gloria and Eleanor would hide outside till the shouting and violence subsided. Gloria became Eleanor's caretaker and substitute mother.
Eleanor had her first child at age seventeen. In ten years she would be divorced with three children. She began following the family tradition of drinking and using drugs. Soon her husband petitioned the court for full custody and she spiraled into twenty years of further substance abuse and homelessness.
It was her sister, Gloria, that led Eleanor to Native American Connections (NAC). She told Eleanor of a place of recovery called Guiding Star. Eleanor found peace and sobriety through the Traditional ceremonies of the Talking Circle and the Sweat Lodge. She enrolled in Out Patient Services and has been sober since April 15, 2003. She found her first "home" at NAC's Catherine Arms transitional living community. Sometimes sleeping on the floor until she got used to having her own room and a bed instead of a friend's couch, Eleanor moved past her fears and went to work for the first time in years. After a year of sobriety, she began working for NAC, and was able to move to her next step in supportive housing at NAC's Sunrise Circle. With a stable home and stable employment, Eleanor blossomed and was promoted to House Manager at NAC's newly opened Pendleton Court women's shelter and transitional living program - coming full circle from being homeless to helping Native women in a similar situation as her past. Eleanor has held several positions of increasing authority with NAC, most recently Case Manager in the Intensive Out Patient Program. She has obtained her Associates of Arts degree of Applied Science and plans to attend ASU for a Bachelor's Degree in Social Work.
In her own words, Eleanor's greatest achievement to date is being a grandmother of 12 and recently becoming permanent guardian for 2 of her 12 grandchildren. She calls them her "guardian angels". Once again, Eleanor has come full circle caring for her grandchildren after losing custody of her own.
Eleanor's story is far from over. She continues to achieve and flourish at NAC through sober living and giving back to the community she credits with helping her connect with her traditions and spirituality.