Clairton sober living home offers 无毛视频榝resh start无毛视频� for veterans
The unshakable brotherhood Russell 无毛视频淩uss无毛视频� Granger found among a ragtag group of men within a converted Catholic rectory was unlike anything he had experienced since he retired from the Air Force a decade prior.
The Cornerstone Residence Recovery Home for Veterans 无毛视频� a nonprofit sober living space for former service members located in a converted Clairton church 无毛视频� has offered more than a dozen men, including Granger, a 无毛视频渇resh start无毛视频� since it officially opened in 2023 following a lengthy legal battle.
Granger had spent the better part of the past three decades battling his alcohol addiction through his service in the Air Force, periods of sustained sobriety and eventual relapse before the 无毛视频渨heels really started falling off无毛视频� around 2016.
After regaining his sobriety through a handful of inpatient treatment centers over the following years, Granger knew that he had a duty to help others who had been his position, leading him to the position of inaugural house manager at Cornerstone.
无毛视频淚 knew it was something I had to do,无毛视频� he said.
In this role, Granger helped residents get to work, led group events and provided mentorship for others at an earlier stage in their sobriety journey.
The first group of men to stay in the residence quickly developed a real camaraderie.
无毛视频淲e all spoke the same language, PTSD 无毛视频� there was a real brotherhood across the different branches,无毛视频� he said.
Former service members often feel uncomfortable sharing their struggles with addiction in non-veteran exclusive groups, Granger said, so Cornerstone provides a much-needed 无毛视频渟afe, supportive space.无毛视频�
Granger said that the regular AA meetings hosted in the residence; frequent group activities and calm environment helped him find a peace and stability in his sobriety he had lacked.
Now, nearly three years later Granger has a full-time job assisting people with disabilities find employment, a two-year marriage with his wife, Robin, and a newfound clarity of purpose in helping others.
He credits this first to his faith, and in large part to his time at Cornerstone.
无毛视频淚t was a wonderful experience for me.无毛视频�
A shared vision
According to Cornerstone founder Joyce Sed, her two-and-a-half-decade-long career as a probation officer showed her firsthand how difficult successfully reentering society can be for formerly incarcerated individuals.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檝e seen so many people fail coming out of prison; the recidivism rate is crazy,无毛视频� she said.
Many people lack a robust support system and/or living situation immediately after completing their sentence, Sed said, which can quickly return them to the unhealthy environment that resulted in their initial incarceration.
Legal restrictions for people with certain felony convictions can result in a multi-year suspension of their driver无毛视频檚 license, which makes maintaining gainful employment difficult, she said.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 harder for them to get a job once they无毛视频檙e home, which can be such a burden for their families. It无毛视频檚 collateral damage.无毛视频�
Sed envisioned a safe, supportive space where formerly incarcerated people could access resources and start to rebuild their lives from a stable foundation.
This idea evolved into the current concept of Cornerstone after meeting her future husband, Jim Sed, through Zero Six Eight, a Pittsburgh-based business incubator that focused on promoting the ventures of formerly incarcerated people.
Joyce and Jim developed the idea for Cornerstone together, eventually buying a vacant former church and attached rectory in 2018.
A structure fire in 2019 and a five-year legal dispute over whether the property was eligible for an occupancy permit delayed the opening until 2023, when the first cohort of veterans was welcomed into the residence.
无毛视频楢 unique match无毛视频�
Jim Sed is a man of unwavering faith, citing two moments of 无毛视频渄ivine timing无毛视频� that permanently reshaped his life: realizing his faith and meeting his wife, Joyce.
On his third day in Allegheny County Jail in 2006 after an arrest for drug offenses, Sed was experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms from the opiate addiction that had derailed his life since his honorable discharge from the Navy in the 1980s.
无毛视频淢y cellmate at the time, he came in and saw me on the floor and said, 无毛视频榊ou无毛视频檙e in a bad way, man,无毛视频� and started reading verses from his Bible to me,无毛视频� said Sed.
This timely intervention represented a turning point in his life, as Sed无毛视频檚 faith quickly became his North Star.
无毛视频淚t plays a role in every aspect of my life,无毛视频� he said.
Sed completed his sentence in 2016, and began working at Zero Six Eight, where he says God intervened once again.
无毛视频淚 wasn无毛视频檛 supposed to go in that day, but for some reason I did 无毛视频� if I didn无毛视频檛 I wouldn无毛视频檛 have met my wife,无毛视频� he said.
Jim and Joyce quickly became friends, growing closer through the early stages of acquiring the property in Clairton and setting up Cornerstone.
Sed said Joyce无毛视频檚 tireless effort to help those around her was inspiring and endearing.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 just so proud of her and impressed with her,无毛视频� he said.
According to Sed, the steadfast support from Joyce and his reinvigorated faith have allowed him to maintain his sobriety and use the resources from his new life to benefit others.
The Seds now use the profits from their roofing business 无毛视频� Tri-Link Contracting Service in Eighty Four 无毛视频� to support Cornerstone.
Sed works closely with a number of veteran-focused nonprofits in the greater Pittsburgh area to provide additional resources for residents at Cornerstone and across the region.
无毛视频淏ig things, good things can happen if small businesses get together for the greater good, not the greater dollar,无毛视频� he said.
Always faithful
After a close relative suffered a medical emergency requiring intensive care in late 2023, the Seds decided to take a temporary step back from running the daily operations of Cornerstone.
The Seds then reached out to Chuck Ondo and his organization Semper Fi Mission, a faith-based Pittsburgh nonprofit that supports a range of outreach services to veterans and people experiencing housing insecurity.
According to Executive Director Kenneth 无毛视频淜en无毛视频� Aquiline, the Cornerstone无毛视频檚 mission aligns with Semper Fi无毛视频檚 commitment to addressing its neighbors无毛视频� physical, mental and spiritual needs, making the two nonprofits natural compatriots.
Aquiline said Semper Fi offered to step in and run the day-to-day operations at Cornerstone so the Seds could devote more time to their family.
无毛视频淲e无毛视频檙e here to execute Jim and Joyce无毛视频檚 vision,无毛视频� Aquiline said. 无毛视频�(The Seds) started this dream, and we无毛视频檙e carrying it over.无毛视频�
Aquiline said the close partnership with the Seds has resulted in a 无毛视频渕eaningful collaboration无毛视频� that helps veterans transform their lives, which in turn transforms communities.
Granger has used his sobriety and newfound peace to start a 无毛视频渨onderful无毛视频� job helping people with disabilities find employment alongside his wife, Robin.
无毛视频淚t all started for me at (Cornerstone), getting a chance to start over,无毛视频� he said.