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HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) - Mariah Yates, mother of seven and mom of Phoenix Rising, is also WSAZ’s newest Hometown Hero.

“I think that she’s very resilient, being a mom of 7, and coming and taking care of us during the day, And she’s really open-minded and willing, and I think that she’s really empathetic, too,” said Sarah, a client at Phoenix Rising.

Phoenix Rising is a transitional housing facility for women in addiction recovery.

Mariah is a Behavioral Health Technician working toward getting a Peer Recovery Support Specialist certification. She helps teach life skills classes and takes her clients to recovery meetings. Mariah’s clients said she’s like a mom to them, someone to look up to, and they’ve only known her for a short time.

“She comes here with a smile on her face, ready to tackle the day, and she’s just very -- she’s very selfless,” said Sarah, another client at Phoenix Rising.

Mariah, who was speechless when her second family nominated her for Hometown Hero, said, “They’re also my support, too, and just like I help support them. It makes me happy to see that I’m making a difference in the recovery community with helping with the stigma and with the sober living facilities around here.”

Her clients said the women-helping-women facility is helpful because they can relate more to each other. Some said it’s inspiring to see her helping out because they have dreams of being a mom again -- and seeing a full-time mother working hard to offer support in addiction recovery, it gives them hope.

“It makes me feel really great because a lot of my girls are mothers and they are learning how to be the best mothers. They see how I do everything. It’s making a difference in the community also ... and their success stories makes me really want to do it and grow within the company,” Mariah said.

Those who hired her said there was a noticeable difference after Mariah started working there. Her soon to be sister-in-law, Amy Walker, hired her and said, “She blew me away. I wasn’t sure how it was going to work out. ‘Oh God, is this going to create conflict or strain within the family or within my work place?’ And I didn’t want that, but she really wanted this job and she told me told me she was going to do it well. I had no idea how well she was going to do it.”

The mom of Phoenix Rising will continue helping women rise from the ashes of their own past for a brighter tomorrow.