My name is Steve and I want to share my testimony regarding my experience at Encompassed Purpose and the impact the program has had on my life.
I am not currently on probation or parole, although I am currently on bond probation. I am sharing my experience because I want others to understand how successful this program has been for me and how much it has helped me change my life.
I recently completed the program after spending a full year at Encompassed Purpose. I entered the program after bonding out of jail following eight months of incarceration. At that point, I had almost nothing to my name. I did not have a driver's license or even a birth certificate, which made it extremely difficult to begin rebuilding my life.
I had lost my business, my vehicle, my home, and my ability to support myself. I had very little idea how I was going to move forward, especially because I could not obtain consistent employment without proper identification. At the same time, bills were already piling up. I had payments to my bondsman, GPS monitoring expenses, and the cost of mandatory UAs three times a week.
Encompassed Purpose took me in because I was serious about finally overcoming my alcohol and substance addiction and learning a new way of life. At the beginning, I had very little hope that things would actually turn around. However, I made a promise to myself and to the people at the program that I would give it everything I had.
The first month was extremely difficult for me mentally. I was under tremendous stress and was working very little while trying to obtain identification and find consistent employment. Once I received my ID, I began looking for work, and eventually an opportunity came.
The program helped me with transportation so that I could get to work and continue moving forward. As time went on, my GPS monitoring requirement ended, I was able to begin paying down my balance at OCCS, and I started finding ways to become financially stable. Even while I was still struggling mentally, the staff remained patient with me. They took the time to talk with me about what I wanted for my life and how I could realistically reach those goals.
We began setting small goals each week. Some of my biggest goals were obtaining my driver's license, finding a better job, getting a vehicle, and eventually having my own place. At the time, those goals seemed almost impossible.
But one goal at a time, things began to change.
I was able to obtain my driver's license. About a month later, I was able to get a vehicle. Having reliable transportation opened up opportunities and allowed me to begin catching up on my responsibilities.
I used my newfound transportation to work a second job and catch up on several bills. The program supported me in working while continuing to attend meetings and participate in the program. Those meetings were extremely helpful in changing my mindset and teaching me how to approach situations differently.
The program also helped me come out of my shell again. I began rebuilding trust in other people and, more importantly, began focusing on the person I wanted to become.
Things continued to improve.
In November, I entered my first healthy relationship. I honestly doubt I could have maintained that relationship without the tools and understanding I gained through the program. I learned how to communicate differently, think differently, and approach relationships from a healthier perspective.
I was also able to shift my focus toward a better career opportunity. I obtained a job with benefits and very good pay. The staff continued to encourage me and helped me stay focused and committed until I completed my year in the program.
By the time I completed the program, I had accomplished something that had once seemed almost impossible: I was able to obtain my own place to live.
I am not only in a completely different place financially and personally, but I have also developed a desire to help other people. I am now motivated to pursue courses and training to become a peer counselor through the State of Missouri so that I can use my experience to help others who are facing some of the same struggles I faced.
I am a far different man than the person who walked through the doors of Encompassed Purpose a year ago.
Much of what I have today, and much of what I have learned once seemed completely out of reach. The program helped me learn how to set realistic goals, take responsibility for my choices, change my thinking, develop healthier relationships, work toward financial independence, and become a productive member of society.
I cannot express enough how positive an impact Encompassed Purpose has had on my life. The program did not simply help me remain clean and sober; it helped me learn how to build a life worth staying clean and sober for.
I sincerely hope that other people who are struggling are given the same opportunity I was given. Sometimes a person does not need someone to simply tell them what they are doing wrong. They need someone willing to walk alongside them, help them establish realistic goals, teach them new tools, and believe that change is possible.
Encompassed Purpose did that for me.
I am grateful for the opportunity I was given and for the people who continued to support me throughout the year. I sincerely hope others are given the same chance to rebuild their lives.
Thank you,
Steve
Encompassed Purpose Program Graduate
