Stories of Success from CASEWV Recovery Housing

“After many attempts of trying to finish a rehabilitation treatment program I finally found my way to the highland house and it was there that i really was able to find myself. At the highland house i was able to find structure and stability in my life that I still implement in my life today. I have accomplished things in my life that i never thought possible and it's because the highland house and kennedy center. I was just kind of floating around not really knowing what i wanted out of life. I now have my kids back in my life i have my own apartment and i have an amazing job. This program and the amazing staff really pushed me to want better in life.”

“The day my life changed was January 3rd 2023. I entered the Highland House from prison. I was very lost and didn't even realize it. I was an addict who's spent over 7 years in and out of prison.  I knew I wanted something different in my life I just wasn't sure what that was yet. I had spent so much of my life on drugs that I didn’t even know how much I needed this program.  My first few weeks there I started to adjust in my new life. I had never lived in a sober living before but I was eager to learn. I remember the day something just  clicked in my brain that set me on a new path. Sylvia Hughart shared her story with me. She had this light around her that I wanted for myself. Her and the other staff were very supportive.  The Highland House helped me learn to love myself again.  I grew as a woman there. When I was able to phase up and get a job my first call was to Southern Highlands.  I wanted to work in recovery and make a difference so that's what I did. Since starting at Southern Highlands I became a certified PRSS. I would then move into the Kennedy Center where I was able to start rebuilding relationships in my life that were damaged because if my addiction. While living at the Kennedy Center I was able to save money for a home and move my daughter and grandchild here with me. I successfully completed parole for the first time. I started to build a supoort team that I know I wouldn't have made it without. The Highland House and the Kennedy Center most definitely changed my life. I am now 4 years clean, I'm successful and I credit that to CASE and the programs that I completed.“

“My name is Marlena Marcum. I have been an alcoholic and an addict for 22 years. My life was a series of disappointments and mistakes. Despair is defined as the complete absence of hope and this, I felt, was my lot in life, total and complete despair. I was accepted into Highland Hose in July of 2023 as a felon on delivery charges. The Highland House would forever change my trajectory in life and introduced me to a world overflowing with hope, joy, and accomplishment. For the first time in my life, I am proud of myself, and I am equally proud to call myself an alumni of Highland House and Kennedy Center.

The structure, support, and guidance I received at the Highland House did NOT reintegrate me into society, it afforded me a whole new life, ne I never dreamed possible. The groups and leadership from staff put me into contact with valuable resources and enabled me to heal and grow. After leaving Highland House I spent a year at Kennedy Center where I was able to save and get on my own two feet.

In July I will have two years sober, and I credit Highland House and Kennedy Center, their programs and staff for this milestone in my life. In January i will graduate from college with a degree in Business Administration. I am a deacon at my church, a leader in Celebrate Recovery, and I am an integral part of a community that I once was ostracized from. My future is bright and full of promise, and I owe it all to Highland House and Kennedy Center programs and their wonderful, supportive and loving staff. Thank You!”

“My name is Chad Dobbs. I am a PRSS here at the Kennedy Center through CASEWV. I am also a person in long term recovery whom is about to celebrate 4 years of continued sobriety. If not for the Kennedy Center and CASEWV, I honestly don’t know if I could say that today. CASEWV offered me a safe sober place to stay after I got out of treatment. If not for this place I would have returned to my home and been right back in the madness.

They provided me with everything I needed to get my life on track. They allowed me to stay here and save money, get my license back, and helped me transition back into everyday life. Upon completion they even gave me a job here where I get to help others who have been in the same situation as I was before. This place is one of a kind and I owe my life to this place for giving me a fighting chance instead of sending me back to the wolves without the armor to protect my self.

I am now a husband, a father, a friend, brother, and a son because of the time I got to stay here and the treatment I received prior. CASEWV and the Kennedy Center was truly a god send, and without it being here helping people, then it is honestly hard to say where I would have ended up.

Grateful ,and sober and free.”

“My name is Sylvia Hughart, and I have the life I have today because of the recovery housing programs through Case WV. I entered the Highland House in February of 2020 as a completely lost soul. I had found myself facing 7 felonies and with a crippling drug addiction. It took a little time to come to terms with how bad my life had gotten and what it would take to rebuild. The Highland House program taught me many things, but most importantly how to love and forgive myself. I learned structure and gained independence through the lessons and fellowship of the program.

I was given the opportunity to continue my journey at the Kennedy Center, and this is where I was able to put all the tools I had learned to use. The Kennedy Center expanded on the lessons of independence, self-reliance, and time management. I was able to develop a strong sense of self and responsibiliity that allowed me to successfully complete the Mercer County Adult Drug Court program. After some time, I was able to save enough money to purchase my own living arrangements. I was extremely motivated in this area due to the opportunity to work for Case WV.

I was offered employment in January 2021 and have been employed within the programs since then. I was compelled to be a part of the programs that had given me so much. There is no doubt in my mind that without the guidance of these programs, I would not be where I am today. Today, I have over 5 years of continued sobriety, a state certified PRSS, and within the next year I will be graduating college with a BSSW degree.”