AMARILLO, TEXAS -- Since it opened in 1951, Faith City Ministries in Amarillo has not only served as a homeless shelter, providing food, clothes and shelters for the homeless, but it's also offered an Addiction Recovery Program for struggling drug and alcohol addicts.
"They come to us, they're desperate," said Faith City Ministries Executive Director Jena Taylor. "They can't afford a rehab center, they have nothing and so free of charge, we will put them in the program, we call them students. They'll be in our program for one year."
One of those nearly 50 students in the program was 36-year-old Ryan Folsom. He entered the program in June of 2012.
"I was struggling with alcohol," explained Folsom. "It had come to destroy my life, I was having a lot of problems managing my life."
The Recovery Program consists of faith-based courses, addiction education, relapse prevention, anger management, therapy and counseling. Folsom, along with other recovering addicts in the program, also help the shelter with it's daily operation of serving the homeless.
"I get to work in the back in the warehouse where donations come in," said Folsom. "We sort through many clothes, furniture, toys, housewares that come in. We organize it and when there is a need that's what we try to meet and that's the part that's helping me the most here."
Although the program is free-of-charge to those who commit, putting each person through an entire year of it costs about $12,000. But even then, Taylor said, it's amazing to see them complete the program.
"Many of them decide they're going to stay another year," added Taylor. "They intern here, they stay here. Some of them go to college, we offer a college program so they can get a skill set. Some of them stay and work here."
Folsom hopes after his graduation at the end of June in 2013, he will be able to stay and work for Faith City Ministries.
"Just what we stand for and what we do," Folsom said tearfully. "How it's changed my life. In some way, even if it's not here just to be a part of social work or whatever field where I can be part of helping other people because I've been tremendously helped being here."
Overall, the program has a 52 percent success rate. But for Ryan, it's been 100 percent successful -- changing his relationship with his family and his outlook on life.
"My relationship with my family, my parents, my brother, my nephews," Folsom added. "They know who I am, they know my name. I don't know what can happen. I could end up going to college and getting a degree and working in this field professionally."
