After spending much of his adult life in active addiction and behind bars, Anthony realized that he needed to make some profound changes to get clean and stay out of jail. When he enrolled in the Recovery Opportunities and Pathways to Employment Success (R.O.P.E.S.) program last November, he was still on Federal probation and monitored from home by an ankle bracelet. Anthony did not have a job, a vehicle, or a driver’s license.
It didn’t take him long to prove he was ready to change. Anthony scored a part-time position with the Town of Cleveland within walking distance of his home. He was diligent about attending weekly substance abuse counseling and made great strides in establishing a healthy and steady routine for himself.
In January of 2022, he was released from home monitoring and was ready to get his license reinstated. The R.O.P.E.S. program helped Anthony pay DMV fees in Tennessee and Virginia, which satisfied the requirements needed to reinstate his driving privileges. Anthony purchased a vehicle with the money he’d saved, and R.O.P.E.S. helped with vehicle registration fees, insurance, and necessary repairs.
By this time, Anthony had secured a position with OBR Cooling Towers, Inc., based in Ohio. The R.O.P.E.S. program purchased the work equipment and clothing he needed to perform the job. Anthony now gets to travel across the United States erecting and maintaining these cooling towers. He loves his job and is making a sustainable wage plus per diem (for on-the-job travel expenses), allowing him to maintain his home in Cleveland, Virginia.
Anthony continues to make a difference in the recovery community by sharing his life experiences with co-workers and others he meets on the job. He hopes to prevent them from making the same mistakes, or at least prove that it’s never too late to start over.
