HopeStories.ca – Verissimo’s Story
HopeStories.ca – Verissimo’s Story – To the outsider he appeared to function normally. But behind the scenes, Verissimo was a full-blown cocaine addict. Once a successful businessman earning six figures, he never dreamed he would be homeless at age 42. Verissimo, known to his peers as trucker, grew up in a drug-infested community in the heart of Toronto. He smoked his first joint at age nine on a dare. What followed was 26 years of drug abuse and criminal behaviour. When I owned my trucking company my cocaine use escalated, says Verissimo. The drug kept me hyper and awake for four to five days at a time so I could make quicker deliveries. I eventually met a girl, had a son and stayed clean for five years. Then we separated. My son went with his mother. I was devastated. I couldnt cope and fell back into my crack cocaine abuse. The drug made me feel like superman—like I could handle anything. I started to hang out with shady people. Before long, I was involved in criminal activity. This led to a conviction and I was sent to Torontos Don Jail. For four and a half years I lived in a three-foot-wide cell. When I was released I was homeless. I had nothing and no one to turn to. My family had abandoned me years ago. While in prison, I was told of The Salvation Armys Turning Point, an addiction and rehabilitation program for men. I was familiar with the address. It was a shelter for the homeless in my old neighbourhood. I called my sister for help, something I had never done before. I was crying uncontrollably …
Salvation Army provides a roof, with rules, to start over again
Filed under: salvation army drug treatment program
After years of trouble and drug use, White came in from the cold to the Booth Center, and is now the shelter's assistant program manager. … Chris White, assistant program manager at the Salvation Army's William Booth Center, once lived at the shelter …
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Simon Read: It's been a year to forget for banks, but we shouldn't forget – or …
Filed under: salvation army drug treatment program
And then there's the Ecology Building Society, Reliance Bank – which was formerly the Salvation Army's bank – and Unity Trust Bank. In short, you don't have to take the same old bad service and excuses from the traditional banks. If you're already …
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Dreams of getting off drugs
Filed under: salvation army drug treatment program
You won't see many of these women in the long lineups for the various turkey dinners provided by the Union Gospel Mission or the Salvation Army – those lines are almost exclusively comprised of males. "In my experience, coed services are dominated by …
Read more on The Province