Voices is aN interview with a person who has been a resident of York County Shelter Programs. We hope that by sharing stories, others will be helped by knowing that there is always hope.

March, 2021. We SpoKe With Michael.

About a year ago, Michael was living in his car. He had been kicked out of a sober house in Sanford. He was working, but he was also on a very bad path.

“Things got really, really bad, really fast,” Michael says. During this difficult time he overdosed and was ultimately saved by a dose of Narcan®.

Michael had been using heroin and fentanyl for a long time. After he crashed his car, he had nowhere to live. He felt hopeless, and he was tired of lying about his sobriety. Michael checked himself into a hospital and then went back to the YCSP for help. He was admitted to Layman Way Recovery Center, YCSP’s residential recovery program (a partnership between YCSP, York County Government & the District Attorney's office).

“It was the best decision I could make,” Michael said.

Michael has been sober for seven months now. After recently graduating from Layman Way’s six-month recovery program, he is working with YCSP staff on his housing goals, and he is also in the process of securing a job. He continues to receive support from YCSP's case management, recovery support, and housing services. He has a sponsor for his recovery work, and says he is restarting the 12-step work.

He says the reason he is doing well is because “…I was surrounded by people who genuinely cared about what I was doing.”

The 12-step model works for him. “The main thing that has helped me is getting in conscious contact with my higher power,” Michael says. Every day he engages in prayer and meditation. He works the program and he is taking the steps he needs to create a healthy life.

We’re so happy for you, Michael. You have done a lot of hard work. Congratulations!

SEPTEMBER, 2020. WE SPOKE WITH JESSICA FILLMORE.

The family shelter in Sanford helps people who have nowhere to turn. YCSP helps families access resources that lead to affordable housing.

Jessica Fillmore, a 36-year-old disabled single mother, received the help she needed early in 2020. In March, Jessica and her daughter, who had been staying with friends, found out they had to move out immediately.

Jessica sent an email to YCSP inquiring about the family shelter. “I spoke with a very kind person and within just a few days my daughter and I had a place to stay,” Jessica says.

Although she was relieved to find a place, she was shaken. “I had no idea what to expect and my nerves were shot,” she says. “To be honest, I was scared. It was a situation I had never been in and never thought I'd ever be in.”

She felt better after going through intake. “The staff made me feel very comfortable and made sure I knew that I wasn't alone, and this was only temporary. A bump in the road on the way to something better,” she says.

Jessica says the shelter staff were always there to assist residents (the shelter is home to between four and six families at a time), making sure they were comfortable in their living situation and helping them move forward. It took about five months before Jessica could apply for a housing voucher - she says the process was slowed due to ramifications of Covid-19. Within days, she was approved and could start looking for an apartment. “Once I found one that suited my daughter and my needs, we applied and within a month of getting my voucher, we were approved for the apartment and were able to move right in,” Jessica says.

The help from YCSP has continued after the move. “The YCSP staff stays in contact and continues to help in any way we need and makes sure that we have everything we need,” she says. “Any questions I have, and/or whatever assistance I'm looking for, I'm very happy knowing I can call and speak to any of the staff members, and if they don't have an answer right then, they will do whatever they can to get an answer and generally it's never a long wait.”

Jessica says she has a deep gratitude to the family shelter staff  “...for everything they did for my daughter and I, for the continuous support they give us. I'm beyond grateful for everything.”

AUgust, 2020. We Spoke With Kelly Donnelly.

When Kelly Donnelly was a young girl, her parents, who had been in recovery from substance abuse, relapsed.

When she was nine, Kelly had her first taste of champagne and smoked her first joint. Over time she became addicted to a number of substances, including alcohol, cocaine and heroin.

Homeless, couch surfing, doing what she describes as “some bad things” in order to get drugs - Kelly woke up in jail one day, at the age of 24. She’d had a violent episode, after being in a bar, that she couldn’t remember. It is possible her drink had been drugged. The bottom line was that she was being charged with criminal offenses, but was given the opportunity to go to Layman Way Recovery Center instead of jail.

Kelly decided she would say that she would go, but she would also figure out how to have drugs dropped off, or perhaps make a run for it. Shortly after she got there, a former boyfriend called and said he would pay her bail and also give her drugs.

“Something flipped in me,” she says. “I realized I wanted to be sober.”

Kelly credits Layman Way’s Addiction Services Supervisor Steve Mazza with this shift. She says when she arrived, Steve took a hard line with her. At the center, there were boundaries and structure - something she’d never had.

“Layman Way saved my life,” she says “I owe Mazza my life.”

Kelly was malnourished when she first arrived, and in time attained a healthy weight. She connected to people. She accepted help. “I had to face a lot of things at Layman Way,” she says. “There were a couple of times I did almost run. But I had great friends who were always there for me.”

One of the core issues Kelly faced was self-loathing. “They taught me how to love myself again,” she says. “A lot of things I went through are hard to forgive myself for,” she says. But she faced things, one by one. She also came to terms with the fact that she would like to reconnect with two children she had placed in adoption.

She became so strong that in April she gave a talk to homeless youth, on behalf of YCSP, at York County Community Action Corp. in Sanford.

Kelly is one test away from receiving her GED, and she currently has her own apartment (for the first time in her life), a dog and a job in Sanford that she loves. She is also in a healthy relationship “for the first time ever.” Both of her parents are again in recovery and she is contact with them. She is proud of herself for her sobriety of nine months. And counting.

For Kelly, the six months spent at Layman Way were the most pivotal of her life.   

As she says: “I love my life today.”

aUGUST, 2020. We Spoke With Candice STaples.

She’s only 34 years old, but Candice Staples has experienced a lot in her young life.

And after being an active addict for 24 years - she started using at 10 - Candice has turned her life around.

Candice credits the intensive help and support she received at Layman Way Recovery Center in Alfred for helping her attain sobriety. After finishing her treatment over the past six months, she is able to stay there until she can find housing and start the next part of her journey.

Candice found her way to Layman Way after being arrested several times last summer. It had been a rough year. She had overdosed 12 times in a year-and-a-half. County authorities offered her a chance to enter Layman Way, a residential treatment center, in lieu of serving jail time. She turned it down the first two times. The third time it was suggested “something just clicked,” she says. And much to her surprise, “I had a spiritual awakening the first week I got there,” she says. She entered Layman Way malnourished, weighing just 80 lbs. In a short time, she came to the conclusion, for the first time ever, that she wanted to be sober.

What shifted Candice was not just the tools she learned in order to become sober - it was the people she was surrounded with. “A lot of it was the staff,” she said. “They believed in me when I couldn’t. Walking through those doors is the most welcoming experience I have ever had.” And then there were the residents, who also welcomed her into the center, and who kept an eye on her and made sure she was okay. It’s a profound experience, Candice says. “When you’re an addict - that sense of being wanted and needed - means a lot.”

Candice developed connections with others, companionships she’d never had.

While at Layman Way she began making handcrafted jewelry and dream-catchers. She has started her own business, and advertises her  items on her Facebook page. A portion of all her sales goes back to Layman Way.

For now, her focus is finding a place to live, finding a part-time job, continuing on her with her art (her tag line is “A recovering addict trying to make her dreams come true”). She also is pursuing her plans to become a motivational speaker. Candice is glad that York County authorities continued to offer her a chance to enter Layman Way. As she says, “I am so grateful.”

May, 2020. We Spoke With Barbara Korpaczewski.

Barbara Korpaczewski is a volunteer at York County Shelter Programs’ Food Pantry. She has been helping out for at least 8 years, she says. 

The Sanford resident has a special connection to YCSP, as she herself stayed in the shelter in 2007. 

Barbara had been living in Arizona, where she worked, and owned a condo. An injury at work left her unable to make her payments, and she lost the condo. She came to Maine, where she has children, and stayed with them for awhile. The living situation was not working out, however, so she went to York County Shelter Programs, where she lived for three weeks. She was able to find an apartment and moved out.

 During that three-week stay, Barbara was fortunate in meeting a man, also at the shelter, who would become her “significant other.” The two have been together for 12 years now. They were able to buy a house together eight years ago, through a YCSP program.

 The couple both volunteer at the pantry - Robert picks up food donations, and she works at the pantry. She may have only been at YCSP for three weeks, but Barbara is grateful for what the agency has done for and her partner.

 “I support it 100 percent,” she says. “They do wonderful things for people.”

April, 2020. We Spoke With Grady Fox.

Grady Fox has a steady job as a data voice specialist for a Rochester, N.H. broadband company. He is also looking for a house to buy.

Grady’s life wasn’t always like this, however. Grady lived at the York County Shelter Programs’ shelter twice - in 2016 and again in 2018.

In 2016, a substance abuse problem led him to the shelter. “Alcoholism was the main factor,” he says. “I had lied to myself about it for years, but starting in roughly 2014 it took over and I literally lost everything. I was in and out of jail, first for an OUI and then continued conditions of bail and probation violations.” Grady went to the shelter when his probation officer deemed that it was a place where he could stay safe.

“During my stay there I was given responsibility, learned a new trade in the culinary (field) and most of all, was given a sober living situation.” After six months, he had a voucher for an apartment. 

Grady’s struggles re-emerged, however. A few months after moving into his own place he started drinking again, got into trouble and was sent to jail for a year. He got sober again - and has remained so for more than three years. When he was released from jail he was worried about maintaining sobriety, and, without a place to live, asked YCSP if he could live there while he regrouped. “Despite my failure I was given a second chance,” he says. He lived there for a few weeks. 

Today life is much different. Besides keeping a steady job, he has renewed his apartment lease twice. “My children continue to be a huge part of my life,” he says. “I care for my mother. And most of all, I live a sober life with no regrets.” 

“YCSP was a big help in allowing me to overcome an addiction that had grown and grown since I was a pre-teen. I wake up each day now with gratitude. I am not a rich man monetarily, but I have what I need, and the ability to keep getting better each day.”

 November, 2019. We spoke with Jim Colligan, who now works at the food Pantry.

Jim Colligan enjoys going to work. Jim is the Operations Manager at YCSP’s food pantry. 

One of the reasons he enjoys his job is because of his own experience with YCSP. In 2017 he had been living in Portland and working for the Red Cross. When his living situation changed, he was unable to find affordable housing in Portland. “I was familiar with the shelter,” he said, “so I called. They told me to come down.” 

Jim lived at the shelter for 30 days, until he was able to move into an SRO (single room occupancy). where he stayed until he could transition into affordable housing. “They helped me significantly. I am very grateful for YCSP,” Jim says. 

He found a job at the shelter through the federally-funded Senior Community Service Employment Program. It’s a four-year job - he is about 20 months in. Jim picks up donations from local grocery stores, sorts and stocks the pantry and greets clients. He enjoys the camaraderie of working with volunteer Bob Sirois and Food Pantry Coordinator Mike Ouellette.

Jim says YCSP is “not your run-of-the-mill shelter.” He has referred many others to YCSP. 

He loves that he can now help others in need. As he says, “I’m able to give back.” 

august, 2019. We Spoke With J.P., who now works and volunteers at the shelter

 J.P., as he is known to the people he works with is and is close to,  was working two jobs in order to support his fiancée and their infant. He worked as a trucker and a delivery man.

He was devastated in 2016 when the woman he had hoped to marry left the relationship.  He had to adjust to spending less time with daughter.  He was struggling with work, and eventually left both jobs.   He lived with friends and then moved into his mother’s home for awhile.  He then heard about York County Shelter Programs.  J.P. says it felt demoralizing to have to admit that he needed this help, but he knew he had to do something to help himself.

J.P.  arrived at the shelter in 2016; he lived here for five months. He received counseling, individually and in groups. He got back into the working world by working in the YCSP kitchen and bakery – and recently he accepted a full-time job as a residential technician at the shelter.

The Biddeford native has had to confront many difficult issues - relationship issues, family issues, work issues.  But he says he has been able to face things because of the help he has received from YCSP.

“It built up my self-esteem,” he says of his time living at the shelter. “There’s people that care. People that don’t even know me asking ‘How can I help you?’”

JP immersed himself in all that YCSP had to offer. He attended support group meetings. He volunteered, and continues to do so. He learned a lot from YCSP’s neighbors, the Brothers of Christian Instruction, who have been supportive of YCSP since its inception.  He says the Brothers have taught him the gift of patience.

Today, J.P. is helping others.  He oversees a computer lab that includes 6 donated laptops. He helps people search for housing, update resumes, connect to community resources. He’s involved with an on-campus thrift shop created for clients who are moving into new housing.

“This place has opened so many doors,” J.P. says.  “I feel love here. What’s gets me excited is when I help clients with their stuff.”

June, 2019. We spoke with Sarah Goodwin, a recent graduate of Layman Way Recovery Center.

Sarah Goodwin felt broken. She had been arrested and jailed for aggravated operation of a methamphetamines lab in August of 2018.  She was released in October, and was awaiting trial, when she went into hiding and continued to use drugs. “I was using hard,” she says.

She  reached her breaking point, a feeling of utter hopelessness. She turned herself in a few weeks later.   At age 39, she had been using drugs off and on since the age of 16.

Sarah was given a chance to change her life, however. A judge and the district attorney agreed to let her enter Layman Way Recovery Center in Alfred in December of 2018. This six-month residential alcohol and drug treatment program was created for people like Sarah. People who normally would be sent to jail. Once released, chances are good they would start abusing substances again.

York County Shelter Programs partnered with York County government and the district attorney’s office to create this recovery center. The  center, which houses 24 residents, provides comprehensive support, including  group and individual counseling,  12-step support such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous and Young People in Recovery, medication assistance treatment, family support groups, mentor programs, and case workers who help residents plan for life following graduation. A local adult education program – Massabesic in Waterboro –  offers classes and help for people interested in obtaining their high school diploma or enrolling in college. Wellness activities, such as exercise classes, are also offered.

 The Center also provides after-care, with counseling and support available for those who have successfully completed the program.

Sarah flourished at the center. She took her recovery seriously. In time, she found a leadership role there – “head of household –  where she helped orient new residents and was a liaison with  residents and staff. 

She says the reason she could get better is because of the care she received at Layman Way.

“This place loved me until I could love myself,” she says. “They care. They genuinely care about you.”

Sarah will receive probation for her drug charges. She has been reunited with her two sons, and the family is living in YCSP family housing.  As for the future – Sarah is looking into the certification process needed in order to be a recovery coach.

May, 2019. We spoke with Travis Greenwood, who graduated from Layman Way Recovery Center in Alfred this month.

Travis Greenwood says he will always remember October 17, 2018. He was driving on I-95. When he saw the police lights in his rearview, he made a decision. It was night, and he could throw the fentanyl out the window.  He decided not to.

“I kept it,” Travis says. “I gave it to the (DEA) agent. At that point, I felt a sense of relief.”

From there,  things got better for Travis. Although he was charged with trafficking fentanyl – a federal offense – the judge he stood before believed him when he said he wanted help overcoming his addiction. Travis, 31, had been using drugs since he was 14. He had reached a point where daily injections no longer gave him a high – they simply helped him function. Every morning he woke up sweating and feeling sick – and every day he injected himself. He was working seven days a week as a subcontractor, needing the money to pay for the drugs. He had known for some time that the amount of drugs he was buying would land him in serious trouble, if he was caught.

In December 2018 Travis was admitted to Layman Way, a six-month residential recovery center in Alfred. Layman Way is one-of-a -kind. It is a three-way partnership between York County government, the York County district attorney’s office and York County Shelter Programs. It was created to help people who normally would be jailed for their crimes – but not treated for the addictions that led to their crimes.  The intent is:  Treat the addiction and break the cycles.

Travis graduated from Layman Way in early May this year.  He is one of 17 people to graduate over the course of the year, the center’s first year in operation. That is 17 out of the 56 people who were admitted. The numbers reflect just how difficult it is to break addictions.

Layman  Way  provides comprehensive and intensive support, including  group and individual counseling,  12-step support such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous and Young People in Recovery, medication assistance treatment, family support groups, mentor programs, and case workers who help residents plan for life following graduation. A local adult education program – Massabesic in Waterboro –  offers classes and help for people interested in obtaining their high school diploma or enrolling in college. Wellness activities, such as exercise classes, are also offered.

 The Center also provides after-care, with counseling and support available for those who have successfully completed the program.

Travis had been in five drug treatment programs over the years. Layman Way was different, he says, because of the levels of support given to the residents. “Support, love, dedication…that’s what makes this place stand out,” he says. “They cared about me when I couldn’t care about myself.”

Travis has found sub-contracting work with a contractor who is also in recovery.  He has reconnected with his 11-year-old son. He has reconnected with numerous family members who had given up on him.  He is still facing federal charges that may carry a sentence of five to 10 years. “But you know, no matter what, I can do it sober,” Greenwood says. “I am not scared of tomorrow. I embrace it.”

April, 2019. Our first profile is Mike Ouellette.  Mike lived  at the shelter  in 2014. He took one step at a time to make his life better  - and today he works for YCSP as the Food Pantry Coordinator.

 Mike Ouellette says the lowest point of his life was November 14, 2014. He had been struggling for a long time. He had lost both of his parents to cancer, and a sibling had also been diagnosed with cancer.

 Originally from northern Maine, he had moved down to York County and was living with a family member. He was struggling with his emotions. He felt he had no direction. He was unable to sleep.  Mike began to self-medicate with alcohol.  “At first it was relief, then after time it became a need,” he says of his use of alcohol. “My father was an alcoholic, like his father before, and I swore I would not let it happen to me, but eventually I fell into the cycle where I needed to consume alcohol just to function.”

 Mike lost “most everything” – including a place to live. “I had nowhere to go,” he says. He remembered hearing about York County Shelter Programs  at AA meetings he had attended.

 “So, I showed up with just one big bag in my hand that contained all that I had, and that’s really where my story begins,” Mike says. “They welcomed me with open arms and assured me that everything would be OK. Those words meant so much for me to hear, because until then, I was so lost. It was scary at first, but after a few days of settling in, I knew I had come to the right place.”

 YCSP always assigns new residents with a navigator, to help people make a plan. “I went to various groups, was set up with a doctor to address health issues, met with housing to make sure I could acquire a place to live after my stay, but the most important of all, I was able to talk to a counselor and finally let go of all the things that were eating me up inside and learn how to deal with life on life's terms,” Mike says.  After a few weeks he was enrolled into a six-month residential treatment program at Angers Farm in West Newfield. After completing that, he moved back to the shelter while waiting for housing, and started a vocational training program in YCSP’s Food Services department. “I started doing chores like dishes  and cleaning. You know, keeping busy. That was a big part of my sobriety,” he says. “Learning how to do things all over again without having substances involved.” He  eventually became a cook.  After working two years in the kitchen, he was offered the position of Food Pantry Coordinator, in January 2017.  

“I am responsible for feeding those in our communities that are facing issues  like homelessness, mental health issues, addiction, and unemployment,” Mike says. “You never know what life just throws at you. But what truly matters, is now they have someone to turn to.”

“After all I had been through, when I thought my life was ending in hopelessness... I was able to turn it all around by doing one thing. Asking for help. That's what it's all about. Hope. I love my job, the agency I work for, and the people that surround me. I was given a new lease on life, and I am so grateful! Who else can say that every day when they come to work, they get to pay it forward and freely give the tools and hope that were so freely given to them! I am truly blessed and owe so much to YCSP.”

We are blessed to have Mike with us and every day we see all that he gives to others.

If you or someone you know is facing homelessness or is without food, contact us at 207-324-1137 or info@ycspi.org