Kevin is a successful homeowner and father of two, whose path to responsibility and took a few detours. He was in high school when his mother passed away and he ended up in the guardianship of his brother. His brother is a good person but enjoyed the “party” lifestyle.
Despite the good intentions of his brother, the lack of parental supervision created a vacuum in Kevin’s life for role-models and discipline. Kevin lived in a house that had a party-like atmosphere, which provided Kevin with several bad influences. The lifestyle eventually led Kevin to drug abuse and in 2005, he was arrested on federal charges for possession of crack-cocaine and a firearm.
He was released in 2008 and did three years of federal probation. He stayed clean and had his first son during this time.
During the second half of his probation, he got hooked on methamphetamines. He learned to game the system to avoid failing drug tests. He managed to keep jobs, but was not compliant in his probation and was violated a few times for not showing up to see his P.O. He made up excuses and lies to hide his addiction, which kept getting worse. The mother of his son took away custody from him after he ducked a drug test mandated by court.
“I made excuses. I wasn’t taking responsibility. I blamed all the external reasons why my life was spiraling out of control. But it was me.”-Kevin
He had his second kid in 2013, the first with his current partner. His issue with sobriety remained, but his viewpoint had started to change. He was determined to stay sober for his kids, yet he was still not taking responsibilities for the external pressures he was facing, allowing for meth to come back into his life.
He began using more methamphetamines to be able to work more to provide income for his partner and their kid. However, this just led further down the addiction spiral. It got to the point where he would pick up drugs for others, as a middle-man, to help fund his habit.
This led to his arrest for the sale of methamphetamines to an undercover police officer. He ended up in jail again for four months. At that point, Kevin knew that he had to turn his life around. He cleaned up while in prison and stayed clean despite the availability of drugs in prison. Upon his release to probation, Kevin knew that he had to stay sober for his kids. Him and his partner entered a detox shelter which helped them quit their habit and to this day they remain sober.
Despite his sobriety and his strong desire to be a good dad, he was having the hardest time getting work at all. The best job he was able to find was sorting recyclables. After spinning his wheels for a couple years, he learned about Fathers Building Futures. He was drawn to the program for their ability to provide him with CDL (Commercial Driver’s License) training and the parenting classes. Those two things revolutionized his world, and he began to see hope for the first time in over a decade.
“My whole life changed right then. It didn’t get any easier anytime soon, but I knew I had something to look forward to.” Kevin talking about getting into the Fathers Building Futures program.
He buckled down and took advantage of every opportunity that Fathers Building Futures provided. He worked with Fathers Building Futures and our partner Roadrunner Food Bank to earn his CDL as a truck driver. This opened the doors for job stability.
He greatly benefitted from the Financial Training program, which led to his being eligible for a matched savings account, called an Individual Development Account, with our partners Prosperity Works and WESST. This allowed him to save up $5000 for a down payment on a house, through a first-time homebuyer’s program with Homewise.
“Even to this day, my kids have been my motivation to do good.”
He greatly benefitted from the parenting groups at Fathers Building Futures. It helped him see that he shared the same fears as other parents. Through these groups and the support of his peers, he really learned how to become not just a dad, but a role-model.
Kevin is now a proud homeowner and supports his two kids. He has a sustainable job driving trucks using his CDL, and now can provide himself and his family with stability- emotionally, socially, and financially.