I was homeless when I came to the City Gospel Mission shelter 3 years ago. I was there 5 months. I was trying to do the right things, but I was still running streets a little bit. I just wasn’t ready. It wasn’t even just the drugs and alcohol; it was also the lifestyle I was addicted to.But while I was there, seeds were planted. My case manager and other staff showed that they genuinely loved and cared for me. They went above and beyond to help the guests. I saw hope. I didn’t have to worry about where my next meal was going to come from or freezing to death or finding a place to sleep. It brought security, because when you’re out on the streets, you don’t know what might happen.When I was homeless, I’d sleep on park benches, and at Findlay Park, it’s a very dangerous area. So, a lot of times I would stay awake until daytime. Here, I didn’t have to worry about whether someone would kill me.All of it freed up my mind to focus on other things.I would talk to the cook every day. He went through the recovery program at City Gospel Mission. He’s the reason that when I finally decided to get real help, I said I was going to the recovery program at City Gospel Mission.Rock bottom for me was sleeping and drinking in a tent outside at a cousin’s house. One day, I just started to cry, and I called out to God. He told me that even though I’ve done these things, He still loves me.So, I entered the recovery program 16 months ago and graduated in October. Being in the program gave me a hand up and the time to focus on where I wanted to go. I had to push myself and learn discipline.I recently got my driver’s license back a few months ago and was able to purchase a truck. It has been 9 years since I had a vehicle in my own name. I’ve been able to focus on my finances and have paid all my debts. My criminal record has been wiped out. I got a job as a forklift driver and am interviewing for a promotion.I can say this: There is nothing that I have prayed about, set mind to, that I haven’t accomplished. Changing my attitude helped my relationship with God and the power He has given me.I finished graduation but there is still purpose. I’ve moved into the program’s transitional houses. I don’t want to abandon the process that got me to where I am at right now.In retrospect, it’s all about whether I have my daughter in my life or not … just being with her, building my family back and trying to be a better man, a Godly man. Those are my hopes and dreams
My father recently passed away he was a veteran and also a recovering alcoholic. I am a recovering alcoholic as well I grew up in Clermont County in Batavia. My father cherished his recovery and I would like to start a sober living house in his memory Clermont County needs more resources in more places for people to feel safe when they can go and know that they can be heard and the voice is not silenced.they need a place to where they can go with their peers and they can talk and work out situations that are baffling them. Also they need a place to call home.the support of people around them who have been through similar situations help the recovery my father was a veteran of foreign wars he was in the 82nd airborne division, the 101st, and the 173rd he was a loving and caring person he would open his door to people and he was very generous he hated to see people in need and I know that if the opportunity arose where we could use his home and my childhood home to help bring people to sobriety and to save their lives and to allow them to experience what it is to experience love my father would be happy and proud and also honored to open his door to watch someone flourish into prosper to change their life and to know that that is just the beginning that there is a whole life ahead of them and they can achieve greatness and overcome what was once impossible and make it a reality and AA we say we do recover and that is what the purpose is...
Now I have my own non- profit It is addressing the addiction/opioid problem. It allows people a place to go after treatment to where they can transition back into a normal life. After using and living a lifestyle of drugs and alcohol for so long you forget how to function as a normal to pay bills how to get up every day to make your bad to do the things that ordinary person does everyday so it allows people to learn life skills, to reduce recidivism. It saves lives it helps the community by growing people sticking together seeing that it is possible it changes stigmas. It helps the whole community heal. It allows people to share their experience and for other people to see that there is hope and other people try it some more and more people recover because there's an opportunity there's a place to go the word of mouth is it's safe here. And people want to feel safe. Also people want to have hope. People are losing their hope and with this we can give some hope back to the community we can show people that there are people who really care. We can turn the preconceptions on their heads because sometimes we are just judging and not honestly being a part of the solution so we're trying to solve a problem of hopelessness, we are trying to solve the problem of giving up on ourselves. We just want people to know that there is someone out there and they love them and when they feel like they can't do it there's someone who's going to hold their hand and show them that they can..
To everyone who donates, who gives from your hearts, I just want to say you are angels. We appreciate you here beyond what words can express. You allow us an opportunity to be better people. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. God bless you.