I have been a member of the web since 2014, at that time I was homeless and struggling with addiction issues and mental health for the previous 5 years. I had been working with a mental health care provider in Anchorage. I was introduced to The Web as a safe place to go by an acquaintance, she described The Web as a safe place, a place to get help identifying employment opportunities, and place to receive help finding an apartment. The Web’s kitchen allowed me to cook my own food, meet others in the recovery community which is its own therapeutic community. The staff of The Web don’t press people into doing things, they allow people the space and time needed so they can begin to heal and decide what they want to begin working on in their life. I believe The Web is the Bread and Bones of this community, many, many people would be hard pressed to survive in Anchorage without the services of The Web.
While working on improving myself, I was regularly coming to The Web, where in 2015 I met a woman who would go on to become my significant other. I was working in a remote location for four months and when I returned to Anchorage resumed my relationship with her. During this time, she learned she was pregnant, this truly was a blessing and turning point in our lives with the support of The Web we became actively involved in our own recovery. We both committed to getting sober, we began working on long term sobriety, I was working, and we had a safe place to live. We were taking prenatal and parenting classes, and Lamaze through our healthcare provider. Peer staff at The Web continued to provide support and a safe place for us to actively work on our own sobriety.
In April of 2016 we had a beautiful baby girl, a brief time later due to a tragic event I lost them both. Which left me reeling and unsure what life was going to be like now, with the support of community and The Web and some to time to heal, I was able to move through it and stand on my own two feet which is where I am today.
I am again active in my recovery, have my own apartment, I received a mini grant from The Trust to furnish my apartment and I am working to find employment, receiving job training also I am continuing to work with other providers in the community to achieve my current and future goals.
I would like to express my appreciation and gratitude to The Web for their support over the years.
Jeff
