OPA-LOCKA, Fla. – Since April is Alcohol Awareness Month, it’s a good time to shine a light on a program that is changing and saving lives right here in South Florida.
There is a residential addiction treatment facility in Opa-locka that’s been setting young men up for success after sobriety for decades.
This is not your typical culinary school, as some of the students have been ordered there by a judge.
That’s because this culinary classroom is found at Here’s Help, a residential addiction treatment center.
From hands-on training in the kitchen to learning real-life handyman skills, this is a program dedicated to treating the addiction and preparing clients for life after treatment.
“They feel good about themselves for the first time in their lives, baking, creating a meal, doing repairs, they are doing something that makes them feel pride,” said Here’s Help President Steve Safron.
It’s that pride and newfound skills that are key to recovery.
After a four-month stay, clients leave with various certifications and tools they need to land jobs.
Thirty-two-year-old Kedlin Eloissant is excelling in this computer literacy class. He’s graduating from the program and feels ready to change his life.
“Me being my first time being in a rehab, it definitely gave me the foundation, put me on a path when I leave out of here, I know what path to take,” he said.
Yelier Valdez, 23, has been on the right path since graduating three years ago.
“When I came here, I learned to type fast, I learned how to use Excel and Microsoft, I learned how to use a lot of these programs and it helped me later in life to go ahead and apply for jobs,” said Valdez.
The residents also spend time on the basketball court building teamwork and discipline.
It’s a bonding time where they push each other to be better on and off the court.
The program’s photography class is all about self-expression, creativity and healing.
When they graduate, some clients will have the technical skills to get computer graphics jobs.
All of this is providing building blocks for success in the real world.
Here’s Help is for males 13-to-35 years old. The younger ones go to school on the property daily, while the teens and men are in separate areas of the facility.
There are 45 total beds, and outpatient and in-home addiction therapy is also available.