Across rural Lenoir, Pitt and Wayne counties in North Carolina, people recovering from addiction or incarceration are changing their lives, and their communities, through the special approach of Hope Restorations, a non-profit social enterprise founded in 2015.
Jada, a recent Hope Restorations program participant, remembers when she reached a breaking point in her addiction story. She recalls a pivotal moment during which she decided that “I wanted to change, and I started thinking what can I do?”
Dunk, also a Hope Restorations program participant and now volunteer leader, recounts the moment when his years of addictions, frequent incarcerations, and a life of instability began to transform. Dunk leans back, looks upward, and says simply, “I felt the love when I first walked in. Hope gave me hope again.”
With roots at Sharon United Methodist Church, Hope Restorations was created by Pastor Chris Jenkins, who now serves as the organization’s Executive Director. Jenkins sought solace in service to others following a life-changing family tragedy. His idea for an organization that could open access to a different future for persons addicted or formerly incarcerated caught on with community members, funding and partnerships followed, and Hope Restorations was in motion. Jenkins credits the momentum to guidance from his abiding faith, and a clear concept at the core of Hope Restorations. “One of the key things an individual needs is honest, paid, dignified employment,” says Jenkins.
Hope Restorations meets this core need with transitional employment and job training programs for adults recovering from addiction or incarceration beginning with skills learned through renovating deteriorated homes in the area. The houses renovated and repaired by Hope Restorations participants are then made available to community residents seeking safe, affordable homes.
“You can see their [participants] first impression when they begin in a house. They think…this house is worthless, it should just be torn down. Little by little, they get all the rotted and damaged stuff out as they start to work the house. And then, we begin to see this broken soul, someone who saw themselves as hopeless and worthless, begin to come alive again inside. They see, and start to believe that, just like the house, they are not worthless,” says Jenkins.
“I felt the love when I walked in that place. I went from a laborer to a crew leader. I went back to school and got my human service degree. I’m a peer support specialist now. So Hope kind of gave me hope again. I feel like I’m a part of society again.”
Dunk, Hope Restorations participant
Hope Restorations partners with other community agencies to provide additional services for participants, broadening the range of opportunities and care they receive. The organization also operates House of Hope, a transitional housing and recovery program for women.
“I went from a laborer to a crew leader. I went back to school and got my human service degree. I’m a peer support specialist now. Hope gave me hope again. I feel like I’m a part of society again,” says Dunk.
“The sky’s the limit,” says Jada.
Learn more about Hope Restorations.
