At one of the halfway houses last week I overhear a group leader talking to a small circle of men.
Because his voice is familiar, I pause for a moment to listen to what he's saying.
He's explaining how to act at 12-step meetings. He tells them how to do a job search. He talks of their responsibility to TLC - how they should pay their service fees on time. That they should encourage each other. He goes through the program guidelines.
As I walk on, I reflect on the man running the group. When he first came he was often in trouble for his behavior. He couldn't keep a job. He often overslept. There was always something negative.
But after a few months he changed. He didn't get consequences. He kept his area clean. He showed up on time. He did his chores and paid his service fees. He moved to a higher level. He began helping others.
When we see clients change their behavior, as he has, we know our mission is working.
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