From Recovery to Home: Employee Spotlight on Trista Moan

Recovery is rarely one moment or one milestone. It can mean navigating complex systems, rebuilding relationships, finding stability, and gradually creating a life that feels secure again.

For the past two and a half years, Trista Moan (she/her) has been part of that journey for participants at The Bridge. As a Transitional Program Facilitator, she supports individuals experiencing homelessness as they move through a continuum of recovery, with long-term goals that include sustained recovery, greater independence, and safe, secure housing.

A Place to Call Home

Of the many milestones Trista has witnessed, one continues to stand out: the first time a participant on her caseload moved into their own market rental after experiencing homelessness.

They invited Trista inside for a tour.

"It was clear how proud they were of everything they had achieved," she recalls. "Seeing that sense of accomplishment and their excitement was very special."

For Trista, the moment represented much more than receiving the keys to an apartment. It reflected the many steps that had come before it, the participant's perseverance, progress in recovery, and work toward building greater stability in their life.

Hearing their gratitude for the support she had provided along the way made the experience particularly meaningful.

"Knowing that I had played a part in helping them reach that point was both uplifting and deeply fulfilling."

Supporting the Journey, Not Just the Destination

Trista's role was created to help individuals experiencing homelessness navigate the recovery continuum and the often complicated systems surrounding it.

That can mean connecting participants with resources, advocating for their needs, helping them pursue housing, and providing consistent support as they work toward goals that are meaningful to them.

Over time, those steps can lead to much more than housing or recovery alone. Participants may begin rebuilding relationships, developing healthier social connections, pursuing employment or education, and reconnecting with their communities.

Trista also wishes more people understood just how difficult accessing help can be.

"The participants I support are resilient, resourceful, kind, funny, and caring individuals," she says. "They are navigating systems that are meant to help, but they can be complicated, fragmented, and often create barriers. Getting help isn't always as easy as just asking for it."

Compassion, Dignity and Connection

Above all, Trista hopes the community sees the person behind substance use.

"People who use substances are human beings deserving of the same compassion, dignity, and respect as anyone else. Substance use does not define a person's worth."

Her work is grounded in that belief, as is her approach to harm reduction. Rather than encouraging substance use, harm reduction focuses on reducing associated risks through safer supplies, education, supportive relationships, and continued connection to services.

That connection matters. Meeting someone where they are today can help keep the door open to treatment, recovery, housing, and other supports when they are ready.

For Trista, the work ultimately comes back to walking alongside people as they build the lives they want for themselves. Sometimes one appointment, one goal, and one set of keys at a time.

We are grateful for the compassion, persistence, and respect Trista has brought to The Bridge over the past four years, and for the role she plays in helping participants move toward greater stability, connection, and hope.