From Homelessness to Finding Hope
Dayton man shares his story about how he turned his life around at Emerge
Living homeless on the streets for years with multiple trips to jail, prison, and rehab — Adrian Owens said the new life he has today at Emerge Recovery & Trade Initiative is the difference between night and day compared to all those years he spent lost in the hopelessness of active addiction.
Today, the 56-year-old Dayton man says, he has found hope, and he finally feels the future is very bright provided he continues to work a recovery program, one day at a time.
“I grew up in a military home that had me traveling to various parts of the country through my youth,” Owens said. “My addiction started 30 years ago. It escalated quickly. I have been to treatment several times — treatment centers all over the U.S. I’ve also been on the streets and homeless for seven or eight years.”
Owens said he moved back to Dayton eight months ago and shortly after he knew he needed help.
“I was using in Dayton,” he said. “I have been to prison twice. I had a lot of traumas in my life, traumatic brain injuries, comas. My sister came across Emerge. She heard about it online on Google. So, me and her and my brother came over here and I’ve been here six months. . . I love this place. It’s like a resort. It’s peaceful and quiet. It’s such a beautiful place to be.”
Owens said his recovery journey began after getting accepted to Emerge on July 6, and his life has improved tremendously since then.
“Eventually they gave me the opportunity to work in the kitchen at Arise,” he said. “That was three to four months ago.”
Asked what he likes most about Emerge that is different than other treatment centers, Owens said he loves how the staff treat the clients here.
“The staff works closely with you and talks with you,” he said. “Everything is eye to eye here. We communicate and connect. They help me through all types of difficult situations. There’s so much kindness, compassion and love here. It’s amazing!”
Owens said he plans to stay at Emerge until his time is up.
“I plan to go to sober living, and get connected with them,” he said. “I do want to keep my job here, but at this point, it really is one day at a time.”
Currently, Owens works a 12-step program while also utilizing the faith-based recovery support systems and programming available at Emerge.
“I grew up in the church,” he said. “My dad was a deacon. Even during my addiction, I believed in God. However, today God is first in my life. All these types of recovery go hand in hand so I can’t take one without the other. Today, I feel closer to God, more connected, more focused. He helps me and gives me strength.
Owens explained that his drug of choice was crack cocaine, and he was an alcoholic.
At six months sober today, he said he feels amazing, and he is full of hope for the future.
“I still have to continue in treatment, going to meetings, working steps, building sober support,” he said. “I am not ready to go out there yet. I have stay focused and remind myself why I am here and why I am doing what I am doing.”
Owens said the people at Emerge and Arise have been amazing.
“I really appreciate the openness and acceptance,” he said. “There’s so much love here. I had to get out of myself and accept everything that Emerge has to offer. I appreciate everything they have done for me here and they continue to do for me. God is using the people here and this place to help. It has a chain reaction effect. Now, I can reach out to others, to the new guys coming in. Everything is falling into place. I am so grateful.”
Jeff Moore, the men’s housing manager at Emerge, said he has been honored to witness the personal transformation Owens has undertaken since arriving on campus months ago.
“When Adrian arrived here at Emerge, he was broken and looking to discover a new way of living,” Moore said. “Since that time, he has truly captured the old cliche of ‘it works when you work it.’ It’s been a privilege to see Adrian walk into the Sunlight of the Spirit and be blessed daily. “