Support for this program is provided by the Weldon F Osborne Foundation.

The Schillhahn-Huskey Foundation.

And viewers like you.

Thank you.

On today's show will feature two nonprofits dedicated to helping people reclaim their lives from addiction and offering a second chance with purpose and a new start.

One provides employment resources for individuals previously incarcerated.

The other is a faith centered addiction recovery program.

We are stronger together.

Chattanooga.

Stay tuned to learn more.

Welcome to Chattanooga.

Stronger.

Together.

I'm Barbara moyer.

D.D.

Johnson is the program services manager with Project Return.

They offer a variety of resources to previously incarcerated individuals, giving them tools to reenter the workforce.

Deedee, thank you so much for coming in today.

Thank you so much for having me.

So tell me, how did Project Return get started?

Project return was started in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1979 by two individuals.

Helping participants who have been released from incarceration.

Come back into society and help them get employment.

Since that time, they hav continued to work in Nashville.

Chattanooga was the first expansion of Project Return in 2021.

And so we have been here, ever since then.

Wow.

That's amazing.

It's been in the fact that going back that early in 1979, with, Reverend Barnes and Don, best worker, the fact that they saw the obstacles that these young people were having trying to re acclimate back into society and their heart in the struggle that they saw and that they wanted to create something like this.

So, first of all, thank you for coming to Chattanooga because we really need you.

So what does your client base look like?

Is it men and women?

Where do you get your referrals?

Our client base is men and women.

We get our client base from, local, jails.

Probation and parole officers.

Individuals who, may hear about us.

Word of mouth.

Primarily through the jails.

We actually go into the local jail here on a regular basis and and do presentations in regards to project design.

And, those individuals, when they get out, they are able to come to our office and, and we help them and provide services to them.

Okay.

So what's the prerequisite for them to, be able to come to project return?

So we do have an eligibility criteria.

They have to be convicted of a felony within the last three years or, served time on a felony conviction and been release within the last three years, or, served 90 days on a misdemeanor within the last three.

They just have to meet one of those criteria, and that will make them eligible for our program.

Okay.

Can they get their time reduced by coming to you, or do they have to go ahead and serve their full time before they can come to you?

No.

They don't have to get their full serve.

Their full time.

Oh, okay.

They just have to be convicted of the felony and just serve some time on it.

They don't serve.

They would serve full time.

Okay.

Okay.

So you serve men and women?

Yes.

There's evidently no age requirement or anything like that.

What's the youngest that you can take?

18.

Okay.

Because then they have to be able to, be employed.

Yes.

I think previously you had mentioned that you serve anywhere from about 200 to 250 a year.

Yes.

The three years is furnished about 200 to 250.

We have served here in Hamilton County.

That's amazing.

I know that National recidivism is it exceeds 50% the state, and they're not doing a good job.

But project return your numbers are less than 15%.

Yes.

Individuals who come to our program.

Recidivism through them have has been less than 15%.

Wow.

So actually, you're you're reacting to making them back into society through project return means returning back to a workforce or returning back to society or turning back to society.

Okay.

And then we help them, get into the workforce.

Okay.

So let's talk about that.

How do you get them back into work?

So, so when they first come into our program, we do put them through job classes.

We, give them a overview of what our program is.

And put them in class, and we discuss, hard skills.

Soft skills, how to have a handle conflict on the job, things of that nature.

And then we go into some of the, programs that we do offer.

We also have a money management clas to help them go over budgeting.

And then we also have a class, where we a digital literacy class where we show them how to get online and into job search on their own.

you're the intermediary between the employer and the employee.

Yes.

And so you make sure they get to work on time.

You pick them up in the afternoon.

And then the salary comes to you guy and then you pay the employee.

Yes.

Okay.

And then the other scenario is that let's say I came in, I just need some soft skills or help me look for a job or I need I don't know how to interview for anything.

Yes.

You know you will work through all that.

Yes.

We, during the week when they're with us, we also do, mock interviews.

We have volunteers that come in to help us with that.

Also, when they're in class, we take their job history.

They write it on a resume template, we take it and we create a resume for them.

So before they leave that we they will have a copy of their resume, to take with them if they want to continue to do job search on their own.

Wow.

So in, in that week that they're there, you're helping them to really figure out what skills they have and maybe do a better match with a job offer that's out there.

Do you work with the American Job Center?

Center?

Yes.

I always try to remember what the name of it was.

Yes.

We work.

I always work with them.

They always do.

They call us if they have someone there they feel like might be a fit for our program.

Oh, okay.

And, And if they have jobs that are available, we have someone already in that program.

Then we can call them u and see what they have to offer.

And we can send them there.

So, yeah we can work very well with that.

That's good because then, you know you're building your employer base.

Not only from other employers.

That has it.

I, I've got really good the effects that I've worked with them in the past.

You know the people work out really good.

You know, I understand I think nowadays employers are a little bit more understanding and a little bit more lenient of allowing those that have been incarcerated or come out of a drug addiction program to say, okay, we're going to give you a second chance.

We're going to allow you to come in and we're going to help you.

You do your you do the job, and we're going to reward you and everything because basically it's coming from surviving to thriving.

And that's what we want to do for every family.

Wow.

That's amazing.

So what what other kind of support services would you offer?

We also offer, if they do no have an I.D., we will help them.

We'll pay for to get their I.D., birth certificates.

If they're in need of that, we will help them get a birth certificate.

We do, offer, initial medical and dental appointments that we will also pay for.

And also, eyeglass assistance.

If those that there's individuals that feel lik they are in need of an eye exam, then we will pay for, exam and, eyeglasses if needed.

Do you have, optometrist and people like that that, that work with you?

Yes, we do.

And you could always use more.

I'm sure can't, you know, because the need is so great.

That's amazing.

So let's talk about, are there any you had mentioned?

The resumes and stuff like that?

Are there voluntee opportunities for the community that want to say, I'd love to be able to come and help out project return?

What are some of the opportunities that would be available?

Absolutely.

We always need help with, on, what we call our resume day.

That's when we have Mark interview and go over the resumes within.

We can always use help with, volunteers coming in to assist with resident my day and to help with mock interviews.

Oh.

That's great.

So what if some of these are coming out of the jails and they're coming to you and you're providing the staffing and everything?

What if they don't have housing?

What can you come alongside and help them with that?

Yes, we we have referrals that we may possibly be able to, help them with.

Housing is something in our Nashville office.

We have a program called Pro Housing, and we're, bringing that to Chattanooga.

Oh, so, people who are participants in our program and have been on the job for a while.

May be eligible for, some of our rental housing here in Chattanooga.

Coming soon.

We are looking to have, rental, one bedroom apartments available for some of the laboratories.

Oh.

That's wonderful.

Yes.

That's awesome.

And the vouchers you get, what, through the chain of housing authority?

Is that where you get your the vouchers and stuff, or how do you work that?

No, that's just a program, through grants that we have worked on.

Oh, okay.

Okay.

That's cool.

You like that?

So, and you've been with them since probably the inception of coming here t to Chattanooga and everything.

It's a week long program.

But what you're trying to do is not just that one week, you're trying to build a relationship with them so that you can come in and we're going to help you with the soft skills, the hard skills, stuff like that.

We're going to help you find a job, but we'r always going to be here for you.

Absolutely.

If you slip up.

Okay.

So they don't say just after the one week they don't just leave in that come back.

Everybody comes bac and we help them with whatever.

You know we are able to help them with.

Yeah.

If they want to.

We have a small computer lab at our office.

They're more than welcome to come in and do the job search at our office.

If they want to sit with us and and go over interview questions, that's what we're there for.

They do.

Thank you so much for coming in and educating me.

And I know our viewers more about Project Return.

And thank you for coming to Chattanooga.

We appreciate that much for having us.

It's a pleasure.

Up next, we'll have David McNabb from Adult and Teen Challenge Mid-South.

Stay with us.

We want to know how you serve your community.

Send us photos or videos of you or your family volunteering, and we may feature it on a future episode.

Email stronger@wtcitv.org or use the hashtag STRONGERWTCI on social media.

Welcome back.

We're joined by David McNabb, executive director of Adult and Teen Challenge Mid-South.

This organization is a faith centered recovery program for adults struggling with addiction.

David, thanks so much for coming in today.

Glad to be here.

Good to see you again.

Yeah.

So I want our viewers to know what is Adult and Teen Challenge of the Mid-South, and how did it actually get started?

Barbara, our I guess one o the most, questions I get asked most often is our name and where we came from.

I've been here for almost eight years now in this capacity.

And the big question is, David, what do you do?

And so our name is is connected to our history.

Back in 1958, a country preacher from western Pennsylvania named David Wilkerson went to Brooklyn, New York, and began a kind of an unlikely relationship with the gangs, the teenage gangs of New York City.

And so While he was there he began to, See his his heart for the community, his heart for the teenagers, became something even though he was a hillbilly, by their standards.

They appreciated his sincerity.

And so he began to share the gospel with these kids on the street.

And as they began to accept Christ and embrace a Christian lifestyle, they quickly found themselves alienated.

They were breaking out of their drug addiction.

They were.

To live a moral life, but because of the situation they were in, they had.

They were not trusted by their parents and their families.

They tried to go to church and because of their reputation, the is helmet at arms length.

And so they found themselves kind of persona non grata in the community.

And so, so Pastor Wilkerson decided, you know, there needs to be a place for these kids where they can not only learn how to live a good life, but they can actually function and be taken care of.

And so the first.

Challenge was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1958. from that time it was a challenge because who were these kids trying to live a new kind of life they didn't understand, and trying to live in a society that was not going to embrace them.

And so there was the teen and there was the challenge.

And then as time went on, with, with President Johnson and the Great Society tha he brought in and all the, the, the socio socioeconomic programs that he brought in, it's hard to say on the early this morning.

But he, There became some programs for, for the, for the youth of America.

And so, that particular demographic that, that Pastor Wilkerson had been ministering to suddenly found themselves.

They got some things that they've got they're now being provided for the.

But with the 60s came along the hippie movement.

And with that, there came, the drug, drug, drug abuse matured, if you will.

And so from the 60s on that demographic of that just, you know, associating drug abuse with teenagers is no longer the case.

It went into middle America.

It went into the professional offices and everything else.

And so here we come to the place where we are now.

We have, That a drug addiction that is not reflective of any particular.

Socio economic group, and so the Adult and Teen Challenge.

Teen challenge came to Chattanooga in 1978.

And, with that, back, we've always been an adult program.

We've always ministered to folks that were 18 and above.

Years ago, we would say it was 18 to 50, but now we have, women and men on our campus that are in their mid to upper 60s.

Even if they're willing to change.

We've got a place for them.

So that's that's kind of where we came from.

We've been in Chattanooga now, I think, for 47 years this year.

And so and we still and we're still trying to reach the folks that are struggling and.

And it's a it's a never ending battle.

Because what are what are some of the drugs of choice?

What are you seeing out there.

Barbara.

It's changing.

It's changing with the culture.

You know, if you and if you if we'd had this conversation eight years ago, I would have said the primary drugs were were meth.

Heroin.

No opioids.

Okay.

Now, everythin that you've heard about fentanyl is being undersold.

It's actually worse than what you're hearing.

And, you know where we will hear the word fentanyl and we'll kind of cringe.

Most of our guys coming in and guys and girls coming in now, we'll say, typically alcohol, because it's so socially acceptable and so easily abused.

Alcohol and fentanyl right now.

Are the primary drugs of choice.

But being in our area.

Methamphetamine is stil has a huge, huge following.

Wow.

Yeah, it's it's a it's a sad thing.

And it like I say it it's and it's irrespective of where you've come from, your family, your your your ability to, take care of yourself economically, that doesn't really play into it.

So really, it's not.

The socio economical.

It's like it goes all the way across.

I mean, you can g from the poorest neighborhoods to the most wealthiest neighborhoods.

It's not really that.

It's the individual.

Absolutely.

And.

And that's the thing that we want people to understand is that, you know, we can't.

There was a time because I have not dealt with a personal addiction myself.

There are those of us who can be very high and mighty in the way that we look at addiction.

But I'll tell you, it has been heartbreaking to see the men and women that come into our program.

I mean, I look at and I say, you know, they could have been my daughters, you know, and it's, it's it is heartbreaking.

And, and most of the come from varying, situations.

I mean, addiction does not happen in a vacuum.

Most of the guys and girls coming to the program have had some manner of, a trauma early in life.

Some manner of, of, mental or not mental, but a physical issue, a mental issue as well, but a physical issue that caused him to be prescribed medication that simply got out of control.

Yeah.

So what is your capacity?

Over at the campus.

We've got we're very blessed in that we have space for 42 gentlemen and 23 young ladies.

On our campus right now.

So you have a.

Men's dorm and a women's do.

And then they have senior, staff that stays there with them.

Correct.

We.

We do have work 24 hours a day.

20, 365 days a year for free, you know, for a solid year.

Yeah.

And the program itself, is, is is lengthy, because we know that addiction does not begin overnight.

You know, and so we understand it doesn't go away overnight.

Right.

And so, yeah, that's that's true.

So that's a good way to segue into your program.

You said it's a year long, so I assume that's a 12 month program.

Program?

Yes, ma'am.

Okay so walk me through from the time that somebody walks in, says I need help or is referred to you, and we'll get to.

Well, firs we do before we do the program.

Who comes to you?

How do they come to you?

Where do you find these residents?

Wow, Barbara.

They come fro absolutely every walk.

Of life.

We have had men and women come in with their families.

Their families have, you know, they've they've they've had an intervention and they decided something needs to change.

And so they come with their families.

We've had pastors, bring i members of their congregation.

We have a lot of our folks come from the justice system.

And so in some cases, we'll go and we'll need to testify in court about the about what the program is all about and so forth.

So we've.

A lot of our guys and girls that come, in lieu of, jail time.

And if they finish the program, in many cases, they can get their sentences.

Way from that point on.

So, they come literally from everywhere.

And, and because we're a, a nationwide.

An organization, or at least in the.

We have a network of centers across the country.

We've got, you know, we'll have folks from all across the country to be a part of our program.

Every young lady just finished a couple weeks ago from San Diego.

Okay.

So now let's go straight into the program.

Day 112 months.

How do I know?

You break it into segments.

So kind of briefly go through all this.

There's three.

There's three different phases, Barbara.

They come in and they literally are coming from jail from the street.

A buddy's couch, or from home.

And so they are coming from chaos, into our program, which is highly structured and a very safe atmosphere.

And so, from, from day one, they began to learn about how to live in a communal type of, atmosphere.

They do everything together.

They're in class together.

For about four hours a day.

That lasts for the first eight months.

So they're coming in from a kind of a crisis mode in the first four months of the program.

The second four month segment with a segment we call a pursuit.

That's where some of them began to take on some responsibilities.

One within the house.

They're.

Coming more senior students, if you will.

And so they began to be.

Utilized as big brothers an sisters on campus and so forth, and began to build there out of the crisis phase.

They can begin to start looking forward.

And then the last four months of the program, they literally go out and get a job.

We help them try to make the connections they need.

A lot of our folks know when they hire Teen Challenge students.

They understand that many cases they can't maste basic background check.

There's.

To be all kinds of issues involved, but they know the.

Structure that they've been under.

They know that the principles that they've been taught.

About responsibility and all that sort of thing.

So in the last four months, they'll go out.

They'll get a job.

They're taught about time management.

They're taught about financial management to basically take care of a basic budget when they get out of the program.

And so we try to make sure it's as practical as possible.

And in the course of doing.

In that we're building relationships with these men and women.

I mean, we're getting.

To know their families.

We're getting to know them.

They're not.

They're not patients.

They're not patients with a number.

They become people tha we know, you know pretty well.

Like the 365 days.

And so our goal is to build a relationship that will last beyond the program.

And so, we want to make sure because addiction is so brutal, we want to make sure they understand.

They always have a way to work their way back.

They can always have somebody to call a soft place to fall, if you will, to say, listen, I'm feeling kind of weak and messing up, you know, can I give you a call?

Can I come by and see you?

And that's the answer is, you know, it's a no brainer.

Absolutely.

Camp because we we kind of take these responsibilities very, very seriously.

Right.

nationwide recidivism exceeds 50%.

With you guys, success looks less than 20% less.

Less than 20.

Yeah, but you you don't like to use the word success.

You like to use the word outcomes.

Yeah.

So.

So tell me what success success is, is relative.

You know, for us, for us, we would sort of say success.

You're back out, you're back out.

You're taking care of your family.

You're not smoking a cigaret.

You're not drinking a beer.

You know, we've got very high standards, okay?

But the truth of the matter is, if someone leaves our program and we leave the program, hopefully after a year.

But in some cases they don't finish the program.

But if they leave us and they're back out on the street, they're they're working regular job.

They're being faithful to their family.

They're.

Are not going back to their addiction.

That to me is a phenomenal outcome.

You know, they might not check all the boxes that we would want them to, but but that's not really the point.

The point i that they're not bound to that.

That cycle of failure that they've had, that they've lived through most of their lives.

And they can look and they say, you know, they can look in the mirror and say, you know, we've accomplished something.

You know, between God and us, we've got a life.

It's worth living.

That's that's the outcome.

Outcome.

It is, it is.

Yeah.

And so we're so we are you know, in terms of that we probably have.

Remain right around the 75% of our folks have finished the program.

Will live that kind of life, and we're absolutely ecstatic about that.

So let's fast forward.

Let's look down the road 3 to 5 years.

What would you like to.

They happen.

Well, Barbara.

Something.

Working on right now we're very excited about is we know that addiction, as I said earlier, does not exist in a vacuum.

And so many cases there is a mental illness that is connected to that.

And so in the next couple o years, we hope that we will be, state licensed as a dual diagnosis center.

And so we'll be able to handl not only the spiritual aspect, which is going to be always the thing that we go back to.

We'll also be able to handle whatever mental issues that may be there as well, complete with their medical diagnosis and everything else that goes along with.

We want to be able to embrace the whole person and we understand that's where healing comes.

Yeah.

So.

real quickly.

We've got about 30s left.

Let's look at some volunteer opportunities.

one of the things that w love is we love to have someone.

We've got folks at our front desk.

That we have opportunities that are front desk during office hours.

It's a very easy job that's we will train you.

We've got a couple positions now with front desk, and we also love to have groups come in and like maybe bring a meal or not.

I mean, we're take good care.

I mean, we we feed our folks very well, but we wouldn't thin about the fact that fast food, being a delicacy.

In many cases it is.

And so we've had groups come in and bring Taco Bell and bring McDonald's and things like that.

And and that's that's kind of a thrill.

Plus they get to see that there's people out there.

That care about them.

You know, that's that they've not, they've not yet segmented themselves away from society.

They are respected and loved.

So that's.

Well, you.

Integrating them back into society.

Doing that.

Exactly.

I think that's amazing.

That's right.

David, thank you so much for coming in today, helping to educate me and our viewers more about the daunting challenge of the Mid-South.

Absolutely.

Thank you.

Yes, ma'am.

And.

Thank you for joining us.

We hope you've learned more about the incredible and inspiring work being done by our nonprofits.

So tell us what you think.

Email us at stronger at TCI, tv.org or use the hashtag stronger TCI on social media.

I'm Barbara Marder and from all of us here at TCA.

We'll see you next time.

Support for this program is provided by the Weldon F Osborne Foundation.

The Schillhahn-Huskey Foundation.

And viewers like you.

Thank you.