After recovering from addiction and abuse, Levittown native
Tracey Long transformed her trauma into a tool to help other women heal from
similar ordeals.
She founded True Light, Inc. in 2015 and serves as the
nonprofit organization’s chief executive officer. Through True Light, Long
operates a safe haven in lower Bucks County that provides food, shelter,
clothing, personal products, and life skills to women undergoing recovery. Since
opening the first house in 2017, she has helped more than 20 women re-enter the
workforce and obtain independent housing.
“It’s amazing to be able to do that. I had somebody ask me a
couple months ago, ‘if you could change anything what would you change?’ I
wouldn’t change anything,” Long said. “I have been through a tremendous amount
of trauma in my life.”
The goal now, she said is to “find purpose in my pain.”
Long quickly realized that in order to open additional
houses to assist more women - including havens for pregnant women - she needed
to generate greater revenues. With that goal in mind, she reached out to SCORE
Bucks County in March 2022 for help establishing a thrift store.
“I never owned a store before,” said Long. “I needed that
plan even before I opened the doors.”
Over the next 14 months mentors Howard Coff and Karen Kelly
worked with Long to develop a plan and find and secure an appropriate space. Coff
was instrumental in helping Long with the lease for True Light Thrift store,
which opened in Penndel in May.
Kelly, who volunteers at a thrift store, shared real-world
experiences on store operations, which were beneficial in the months leading up
to True Light Thrift store’s opening.
“The thrift store is another expression of that commitment to fund the
ministry, but also to provide an opportunity for the ladies in the residence to
learn skill sets and re-enter the community,” Kelly said. “For Tracey this
is not just a start up or small business, it is a passion that she is pursuing.”
As part of her nonprofit’s model,
the women living in the home that Long runs help out at the store – but only
when they are ready to do so. Long works to improve program participants’
self-esteem, anger management, and ensure they are receiving addiction
treatment.
“I don’t let them come to
the store until I know they’re mentally in the right place,” she said. “There’s
a lot of growth that has to happen.”
Coff noted Long’s “resilience” and ability to overcome her
own personal challenges on an inspiring journey to help others.
“In the last couple of years that I have known Tracey, I realize that she is very resourceful and has helped
women when they were at their lowest point,” Coff said.
Long knows how it feels to be abused and suffer from
addiction. Her path to recovery more than 13 years ago, coupled with her
background in counseling and mental health aid her in determining when women
living in the shared sober safe haven are ready to leave the nest.
“However long it takes them to be out on their own and on
their own two feet,” she said.
As many as seven women live in the home at a time and
there’s often a wait list – another indicator for Long that more homes are
needed. Her immediate goal is to open two more safe havens in Bucks County and
then possibly expand to Philadelphia as well as other states interested in her
program.
Not too far into the future, Long anticipates seeking
guidance from her SCORE mentors, Coff and Kelly as she opens new shared living
spaces and considers expanding her thrift store.
“I’m already outgrowing this space,” Long said of her
recently opened thrift store.
How you can help
True Light Thrift store accepts donations during regular
business hours at the back door of the store, 133 Bellevue Ave., in Penndel.
About SCORE
Since 1964, SCORE has helped more
than 11 million aspiring entrepreneurs. Each year, SCORE
provides small business mentoring and workshops to more than 375,000
new and growing small businesses.?With more than 70 members across Bucks
and Eastern Montgomery counties, SCORE Bucks?County?provides over 4,300 free
mentoring services annually to local small business owners
through one-on-one counseling and small business seminars. To stay up to
date on news and happenings, join SCORE Bucks County’s email list. Text
SCOREBUCKS to 22828.
