When Jason Rice was featured on this blog in December 2023, he’d been through a lot of big changes. He went from living on the streets to nearly dying in a hospital. After months of care he moved into transitional housing, and then into supportive housing at our West 140th Street residence. He slowed his drug use, then quit altogether. He became a Certified Recovery Peer Advocate and went to work helping other people get their substance use under control.
Some people might rest on their laurels at that point. But Jason kept charging full speed ahead.
“I just recently finished what hopefully will be my last semester of addiction studies at Empire State College,” he said on the phone during his lunch break from work. He’s going for his bachelor’s degree and Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor certification. That will allow him to become a substance abuse counselor, a better-paying role than peer advocate.
Working in the field is rewarding, he said, but challenging. “I deal with a lot of people who are still actively using and it can be triggering,” he explained. “I have to constantly lean on my support. I don’t want to ever be complacent, because I don’t want to go backwards.”
Supportive housing aims to gives people the firm foundation so they can recover from the traumas of homelessness and start to change their lives. Jason said that was true for him: “Being able to be at Goddard in an affordable stable housing situation helps a lot.”
Now, though, he’s ready to take the next step. Once he’s done with school, he plans to begin a homebuying program at NACA so he can get his own place.
“I’m trying to take my time and do things the right way, beginning with education and training,” he said.
“It feels great. I feel focused and stable. I feel empowered.”