The perfect gift is unique to each individual, but the greatest gift of all can be the strength to save your own life. “People tell me I have a really impactful story,” says Jordan, Team Lead at New Roads Therapeutic Recovery Community, and a recovering addict. “In a nutshell, I am the only surviving member of my family. My parents struggled with addiction most of their lives, and it ultimately took the life of my biological father. My step-dad and my mom got sober, but unfortunately both died of cancer. My brother died of a heroin overdose when he was 19. I was addicted to hard drugs mostly, and I’ve OD’ed twice. There were bets on whether or not I’d still be alive. I’ve been homeless at times. I’ve been in the hospital for weeks at a time. I did some really stupid things. In 2004, I took my first steps into recovery because of the example my parents showed me. They successfully got clean and showed me that it was possible. I’ve only had four pretty minor relapses since. The mind is hard to overcome sometimes. It takes time.”

Jordan has come a long way during his journey of recovery. He has a background in addictions recovery work in Surrey – where he’d often share his story publicly, inspiring hundreds of others to find hope. Jordan’s been working at Our Place, at New Roads Therapeutic Recovery Community, for two and a half years. Here at New Roads, he mentors residents through their own paths of recovery. “My life’s work is to pass on what I’ve learned. A friend of mine describes it best: when you find the map in the minefield, you don’t just keep it for yourself. You walk back through the minefield, and you take others through safely. That is what I’m here to do.”

Jordan’s work at New Roads is all about showing residents that there is hope, and there is another side to the traumas they are each battling. “There’s so much tragedy in addiction and I’ve been exposed to some of the ugliest. But then there are also the victories. When someone’s failed so much in their life, all they need is for someone to believe in them. All the self-doubt that they have, their lack of self-esteem – they feel that they don’t deserve anything, or they feel that they’re just going to screw it up, so what’s the use? At New Roads, we’re there to show them that they are capable and that they matter. That’s why it’s so crucial to have key people in their lives who believe in them. We’ve got to be there for their victories.”

Victories are found and celebrated every day, together, at the New Roads Therapeutic Recovery Community. “We surround the residents as a community, and we really show them that we all care about them. That’s where hope starts for these guys. It starts with love. We show them that you’ve got to draw towards the good, towards love. They begin to realize that the power of love, is
more powerful than their addiction, and that power is what they need to follow. It’s my job to ask, ‘What if you step into happiness and in to love and start using that as your power instead?’”

Jordan credits spirituality in helping him find his own power. “The concept of hope, of love or spirituality, whatever that may be to you, is just knowing that there’s something beyond yourself. It’s having the open-mindedness to get to know your own concept of a higher power, and that’s super important. Anyone who’s had any success in recovery will tell you that the most important thing in their eyes is to stay spiritually grounded, whatever that means to them. It’s ultimately what saved my life.”

It’s also why spiritual care is a critical part of the range of supportive services we offer at our community centre at 919 Pandora. According to Maria Green, the Wellness Manager at Our Place: “Spiritual care is supporting people in that journey of connection and healing, and it can be nonreligious. Spirituality is anything that connects you to something greater than yourself, but also connects you to yourself, like love, and community. We’re all holistic beings – we’re all whole beings. We all have that spiritual aspect in ourselves, which means something different to everyone. At Our Place we really want the most inclusive environment possible to allow people to find what that means to them. What we do for people is provide the gift of hope, because if they have that, they can face anything. Everything may seem so bleak, but if they have that inner hope, that inner faith, they can believe they can make changes.”

Adds Jordan: “Today I’ve got a really good life. I love what I do. I’ve got a great relationship with my daughter and a loving partner. I even just met a guy who might be my half-brother – we’re finding out soon. Now I feel that it’s my responsibility to show people that it’s possible, that there’s power in hope.”

The New Roads Therapeutic Recovery Community and spiritual care at Our Place are just two of the many pieces in the continuum of services we strive to offer. When that seed of hope is planted, your donations are what make it possible to watch that seed grow and thrive. You help nourish this hope each and every day as we turn your donations into helping hands. Because of you, people like Jordan and Maria are there to interrupt the suffering t hat so many are facing. Please join us in giving the gift of hope.