Over the past 30 years we've had many addicts come into TLC with just the clothes on their backs. Most of them have no money, no jobs, no cars. Nothing. No trade skills. No job references.
But because they have suffered through homelessness, hunger, and sometimes even prison, they are grateful to have a roof over their head, a bed, and three meals a day. They become very grateful. And they express their gratitude by volunteering for various positions around the program.
Some become drivers. Some work night security. Others become maintenance men. Some volunteer as cooks or house managers. And those who stick around for four or five years often end up buying an automobile and a house and start living like so-called "normal" citizens.
Then we have those who - after they graduate - become employees and start making a salary comparable to what they could make in the private sector. Most of these employees stay on track and do their jobs and are happy to be sober and show it by their behavior.
Others leave the program and start their own their own businesses. One early graduate moved out of state and earns around $150,000 a year as a painting contractor. Another resident who was with us in the mid-nineties sent me a video of him receiving a Doctorate Degree in Business. Others have volunteered at TLC as roofers, carpenters, tile layers, and maintenance men and moved on and found permanent positions outside the program.
Their success has inspired us start making plans to add a formal trade school component to our program. We have enough skilled supervisors who are willing to pass their skills on to clients. We simply have to figure out how we're going to fund it, how long we'll train them, etc. We expect to get this program working sometime after the first of the year, perhaps in late January.
Stay tuned.
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