Jules

Growing up, Jules had a hard life with no father around and a mother who worked multiple jobs to keep the family housed and fed. By the age of 10, Jules was running the streets, hustling to survive and getting high to escape reality.

“I spent my entire life fending for myself and blocking out my past with alcohol and drugs,” said Jules.

“There was no father to keep me in line.”

By the time Jules found FFSC in 2011, he was a father of three, behind in child support and suffering from the throes of addiction. That same year, his mother passed away. “I hit rock bottom and didn’t know how to cope without alcohol and drugs,” explained Jules. “That’s when I knew something had to change in my life.”

While enrolled in FFSCs Family Formation, Jules began treating his addiction through on-site Narcotics Anonymous classes while learning how to become the father he never had: “My facilitator, Mr. Slaughter, taught me that being a father to my children is the most important role I will play in life. He convinced me that despite my past I can be successful like so many other fathers who graduated from the program.”

To support his children, FFSC’s employment team helped Jules change careers: “For the past 22 years, I had shined shoes for a living and my home was the back room of a friend’s house,” said Jules. “FFSC helped me attain my Class B truck driving license and today I am a full-time driver for IKEA and able to support my family finally!”

Today, sober for over seven years, Jules owns his own home and his children live with him full-time. “I bought and rehabbed my home. That’s something I never believed I could achieve. “I thank God every day for my sobriety and Fathers & Families Support Center who believed in me since day one.”