I’ve experienced an overwhelming number of firsts in Kansas in my first two years of housing people in recovery from trauma. What follows is my attempt to catalog these.
The 1st Time I Ever:
Rented 4 homes in middle class / upper class neighborhoods in Wichita Outfit homes like an AirBNB Bought a pack of cigarettes Asked someone to pee in a cup Watched someone pee in a cup Called 911 for a mental health check / Called 911 for a relapse Provided housing to a human that came from detox, treatment, homelessness, prison Ate a meal with residents. They provided and cooked it all. Understood in my heart why Jesus chose to eat with “sinners” Many things Jesus taught are heart knowledge
Became
Lost in the same church environment that I’ve known my whole life Confused with the modern Christian Church
Visited
SACK Detox
Area Treatment Centers
AA, NA, CR, DAA, The Phoenix
Hutchinson Correctional Facility
Seat King inside Hutchinson Correctional Facility Wichita Parole Office
Asked
Someone to pee into a cup
Watched someone pee into a cup A series of questions to understand if they’d been trafficked
Received
2 e-bikes from Mr. Beast Foundation 501 (c) 3 approval from IRS Accreditation from MCRSP for our homes to be NARR A letter from prison
Learned
How to keep people from cheating on a UA How to encourage people to do their chores w/o charging fines Characteristics of a strong house leader posesses Increased fire safety How to install a bidet Where to install video cameras Signs of a relapse Disease control and management Signs of a person being trafficked or leaving trafficking (They often don’t know they’ve been trafficked.)
Spoke To
My church council (WRCC) My church Methodist Church councils, Catholic Church benevelence boards As a witness at a woman’s sentencing hearing Wichita District meeting – each house’s district Wichita Metropolitian Area Planning Department meeting
Note: Every person housed in IVY Home Foundation is in recovery for drug or alcohol addiciton.