Monica Holmes has, as she puts it, “went through the fire of life and came out the other side with little scars.” After struggling with her own addictions, she has turned her life around and dedicated it to working with underserved individuals in an effort to help them reach their highest quality of life. Ms. Holmes has the unique ability to truly understand how the people she helps feel, as she is used to struggle with addiction, and is also living HIV positive, though she has been sober for more than 10 years.
As the outreach GPRA specialist of Harlem United, the nonprofit health care service that specifically serves the HIV/AIDS community, Ms. Holmes is responsible for providing program screenings, assessments and intakes as necessary. She also runs recovery groups and provides recovery coaching. Ms. Holmes is inspired by the people that stuck by her during her recovery process and she wants to be that inspiration for others. Looking to the future, she would love to see more community service programs address needs specific to women. She hopes to become a consultant/advocate for more services in her community so she can continue to help and inspire others in need.