When Queen sits across from you, you get a genuine blend of wisdom, wit, warmth, and unshakable resilience. She’s a mother of three, a survivor, a dreamer, and now a certified peer support recovery coach on a mission to uplift others. But her journey here wasn’t easy.
“I grew up in the Diggs Homes,” Queen begins. “When I was nine, my little sister and I had to move from New York to Detroit with my grandmother. My mom was gone. And from that moment on, I was the oldest and the first grandchild. I had to hold it down.”
Queen’s grandmother, Thelma, ran her household with the strength and grace of a one-woman army. “She was a drill sergeant, so everybody in the neighborhood respected her. She made sure we were clean, fed, and in school. That was non-negotiable. You had to graduate.”
There were challenging times to navigate. “We needed help,” Queen recalls. “Sometimes that meant getting in line for food or reaching out to places like COTS. My grandma knew how to find resources.”
Years later, as Queen raised children of her own, she found herself in a heartbreaking cycle. One that’s all too familiar for many Detroit families: trying to hold everything together without access to safe, stable housing. After a break-in left her home without a furnace or water heater, she quietly endured nearly a decade without basic utilities.
“I didn’t tell anybody,” Queen says. “People came over and thought it was just a clean house. They didn’t know I was heating bath water on the stove or spending $200 a month on bottled water just to survive.”
It wasn’t until she met her coach, who gently said, “You are experiencing homelessness,” that Queen saw her reality in a new light. “That hit me. I realized I couldn’t fix this alone.” From that moment on, things began to shift.
At COTS, Queen found more than services. She found people who saw her not as a case, but as a person with potential. She met mentors like Ms. Wallace and Ms. Thomas, who helped her take brave steps forward, one goal at a time.
“I sat with my first coach for three hours and told her things I never told anyone,” Queen says. “She didn’t just listen — she took action. The next day, I showed back up. Not for a service. Just because I wanted to be there.”
That safe space cracked something open in Queen. “It made me feel like a person again.”
She enrolled in a tax class and passed. Queen survived five heart attacks, open-heart surgery, and had bariatric surgery to improve her health. She became a bus driver, bringing pride to her kids, especially 10-year-old Elijah, her youngest child, who still lives with her. Then, she earned her certification as a peer support recovery coach from Wayne State University. Through COTS she is also participating in EMDR therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), which has tremendously aided in her progress and well-being as she continues to heal from past trauma.
“I’m not stopping,” she smiles. “I’m going for community health worker next. If someone sits on the other side of my desk, I want to be ready with knowledge, with heart, with resources.” For Queen, it’s not just about her personal growth. It’s about changing the trajectory for her family and her community.
Elijah, who once struggled to speak up, now beams with confidence. “He used to be quiet,” Queen says. “But now he talks, helps people, and opens the door for others. He’s proud of where we are.”
Through COTS, Elijah has experienced joy, creativity, and community: from participating in a hip-hop class and drumming with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, to starring in a photo shoot with his mom that made him feel like a celebrity. “He said, ‘Mom, this is going to go viral!’” Queen laughs.
The transformation is more than surface-level. “He feels safe now. He’s not scared we’ll have to move. And that security — that changes a child.”
What’s next? Queen has big plans. She’s training to become a community health worker, adding even more tools to her already powerful impact toolkit. And her dream? To support families who are walking the path she knows so well.
For Queen, this work is sacred. “I’ve been shot. I’ve had heart attacks. I’ve had surgeries. And I’m still here. That means something. I’m here for a reason… to help.”
When asked about her turning point, Queen didn’t hesitate. “It was probably today. Sitting in the car, realizing y’all want to hear my story. That my life — my journey—matters. That’s when I knew: this is real. I’m stable. I’m doing it.”
To donors, partners, and friends of COTS who make stories like Queen’s and others in the Art of Family possible, thank you!
You’re invited to tune in and hear more of Queen’s story on The Art of Family Podcast. https://bit.ly/SpotifyPcasts-AoF