CORY IS “FOREVER GRATEFUL”

Cory was just 15 years old when he began his long struggle with addiction. He’s 36 now, and after many attempts at rehab over the years, he finally feels like he has turned the corner thanks to The Ottawa Mission.

Cory entered The Mission’s LifeHouse program last August. LifeHouse is an off-site residential facility that offers five months of intensive addiction and trauma treatment.

For Cory, so many aspects of LifeHouse seemed to make a difference for him. The environment itself, and the exceptional care and compassion he received made him feel safe and secure for the first time in years. And he found the strong focus on dealing with trauma not only innovative, but a very important part of his healing. He says that a lot of effort is put into “figuring out what works for you as an individual. The whole experience was life-changing for me.”

During his time at LifeHouse, Cory also started working on his future. His goal is to become a social worker, so he consulted with our on-site teacher who put him in touch with a career counsellor at Algonquin College. He had all the pre-requisites he needed to apply for their Social Worker program and is expecting to hear about his acceptance in March. And he has his sights set on eventually obtaining a Master’s Degree.

Cory graduated from LifeHouse, is nine months sober, and is living in one of The Mission’s 2nd Stage transitional houses while he continues his recovery. He volunteers at another local shelter, and is happy, motivated, and very hopeful.

As Cory says, “I will be forever grateful to The Mission for their amazing support, and I know now that life can be good!” We wish you all the best, Cory.