Despite a previous addiction to heroin, Gino was doing well. “I had a job and a truck and a place to live. Then, I got laid off, lost my place and my truck was repossessed. After that, I just didn’t care anymore and started getting high again.”
But ultimately, addiction was a road Gino “didn’t want to go down again.” So, he looked for help. Unfortunately, he had no family in the area, and he hadn’t been in touch with his sister for nearly 40 years.
So he began calling recovery programs here in the Valley. The first one didn’t have a place for him, so he called Hope of the Valley and we got him in right away.
Once he was settled in our John E. White House of Hope, Gino began our nine-month recovery program. There was structure, which Gino needed, along with the spiritual guidance, life skills training and other resources necessary to rebuild a life of dignity, purpose and hope!
The program didn’t just give Gino a roof over his head and food to eat. It helped him grow spiritually and emotionally. “I’d done a lot of bad things,” Gino says. “But they [the staff here at the Mission] aren’t against you for where you’ve been or what you’ve done. They take you in with open arms!”