Richard has rededicated his life to Christ and has reunited with his daughter.

Richard, 34, is no stranger to recovery programs. By the time he arrived at Renewed Hope, it was his fourth or fifth attempt at getting clean. “I’ve known since I was 19 that I wanted to get off drugs,” he said, “but I never could.”

Raised without a consistent father figure, Richard looked up to men around him, many of whom were deeply affected by addiction. “I leaned toward father figures-some good, some bad,” he shared. As a teenager, Richard found belonging among older peers and gang members. “I was just trying to fill the void from my dad not being around.”

He tried methamphetamines at 15. “At first, I wasn’t using drugs to be destructive,” Richard said, “but later, I started using it to mask a certain pain, to mask certain feelings.” That pain included childhood trauma and emotional wounds he hadn’t yet faced.

Richard’s search for belonging and “relief” eventually spiraled into heavy substance use, arrests, and broken relationships. Addiction led to devastating consequences and “unnecessary struggles.” Richard was in and out of jail. He lost time with his daughter and missed years of her life. He didn’t meet her until she was 6 years old.

“Every time I’m absent from my daughter’s life, it’s because of drugs,” he said. Richard recalled a painful moment with his daughter when they reunited after he served time in jail. “I told her I loved her, and she didn’t say it back. I realized then, because of my absence, she doesn’t know what to feel about me.”

After a near-fatal overdose the day before his scheduled release, Richard finally realized he couldn’t go back to the same life. “I was afraid I’d jump right back in,” he said. “I needed a different level of care. I prayed and asked God to show me something new.”

That prayer was answered through an old friend, who told him about the Mission’s program. “Right away, I felt like it was God’s will,” he said. “The Mission goes to the church I used to serve in, before I let drugs push me away.”

While at the Mission, Richard uses his gift of worship to lead others in praise. “I was nervous at first, but God took me from a cell to this rec room (on the Mission campus) to worship Him,” he said. “Now I use my voice to bless men who are walking the same path I did.”

Richard has also rededicated his life to Christ and was baptized. “This time it was genuine,” he said. “I knew parts of me needed to be left behind.” He’s excited to have reunited with his daughter, now 12, who visits him often.

Richard’s long-term goal is to help others in recovery. He hopes to use his own testimony to bridge the gap between the streets and hope. “This program, this house, gave me peace I didn’t think was possible,” he said. “And it’s only available because of the people who give to this Mission.”