Vanessa, thirty-five, had three children with an abusive husband. She “lost her mind, started doing heroin”, after losing the children, who were taken away and given to her mother. The drugs led to homelessness and prostitution. She grew up on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, but now spends her time in Hunts Point, “trying to survive everyday. Just doing whatever it takes”.

Nigerian fashion models are made up for their fashion show to promote ethnic fashion June 13, 2006 in Tel Aviv, Israel. The models said they hope to use the travelling show as a springboard to international fame, in the words of one, “to be the next Naomi Campbell”. (Photo by Uriel Sinai/Getty Images)

Wakaba Higuchi of Japan skates during the Women Single Skating Short Program on day eleven of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at Capital Indoor Stadium on February 15, 2022 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)

The Christian Cowan Fall/Winter 2022 collection is modeled at the One World Trade Center during New York Fashion Week on Friday, February 11, 2022, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP Photo)

Adult film actress/director Joanna Angel and her husband, adult film actor Small Hands, attend the 2018 Adult Video News Awards at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on January 27, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

The sunken ferry Sewol sits on a semi-submersible ship during its salvage operations at the sea off Jindo, South Korea, in this handout picture provided by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and released by Yonhap on March 26, 2017. (Photo by Reuters/Yonhap/The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries)

In the early morning of September 22, 2021, in the Baiyun Mountain Forest Park, Wuzhou City, Guangxi, the surrounding mountains are unobstructed, clouds and mists are lingering, and the gorgeous colorful glow is reflected by the sunrise. (Photo by Sipa Asia/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

American actress, model, and singer Ashley Benson arrives at Paris Hilton's wedding party inBeverly Hills, CA. on November 14, 2021. (Photo by Backgrid USA)