When I first met George, I wasn’t sure what to think. George was in his mid-40s, covered in tattoos, and had been incarcerated for over half of his life. During our first conversation, he told me he has quit using drugs lots of times but has never been able to stay away from the “dope game.” George also shared that he has two younger daughters and one adult son. The children were placed with their grandparents. The children’s mother was in rehab and had no visits at the time. “Well, it sounds like you are all these kids have, so let’s focus on that, and just keep moving forward, no more looking back,” I told George.
George started off slow. He found a part-time job and an open bed at a homeless shelter. He was able to have two one-hour supervised visits per week with his children. On George’s days off, I was attending Narcotics Anonymous and peer support groups with him just to prove to him that he wasn’t alone in this fight. I reminded the client daily of his progress and encouraged him to keep showing consistency.
After about a month of this schedule, George got really down during one of our visits. He expressed his frustrations with his visit schedule. He wanted more time with his kids, and his job was still only part-time, so he was really struggling financially.
I suggested that he call Skills For Tomorrow to see if there was a job opening. Since Skills For Tomorrow is a company that specializes in second chances and values the importance of staying sober.
George got the job and was off to a great start. He was then given 2 extra hours per week of visitation time with his kids.
After about another month of this schedule, the client is able to save up a little bit of money. George reached out to a men’s sober living house and secured a room there. This got George out of the homeless shelter. When he called to tell me, I dropped what I was doing and headed straight to help him move. On the ride there, the client broke down and expressed his gratitude for all my encouragement and motivation. “Never in my life has someone actually believed in me,” he told me. I reminded George that he is the one doing the work. I was just here to offer a hand and help him see in himself what I saw in him: someone who is worthy of happiness and deserves a good life.
Fast forward another month or so. His job and visits were going well, and George was doing great and remaining sober. When George went back to court, the judge was so impressed by his hard work that he was awarded full custody of his children again. They had to stay at their current placement until George secured his own housing. George could now have multiple visits per week. He was much happier during visits and remained positive and patient as we continued to look for housing of his own.
Just before the 4th of July weekend. The client called me and asked if there were any funds that could help him get a motel room for the holiday weekend, so he could have his first overnight visit with his kids in years. I told George that I didn’t really know if that was something I could get funding for, unfortunately, but I would at least ask. Instead of asking a question I already knew the answer to, I reached out to my community on Facebook and asked people to help me cover the cost of a motel room with a pool for 2 nights. Within 3 hours, thanks to some amazing connections I have, I came up with $306 to cover the cost of the room for the 4th of July weekend. Right before I went to surprise George with the money, another connection of mine donated $150 worth of groceries so he and his kids would have food for the weekend. The client and his kids had a great 4th of July weekend!
I feel my efforts throughout this case have helped show this client that he is not alone. I feel I have helped make a difference in his life and helped show him that no matter what your past looks like, your future can still be beautiful.
Currently, George has his own housing, his kids were returned to him, and the children’s mother is back in the home and has been clean and sober for almost a year. Things have been great, and I couldn’t be prouder of him.
