Second Chance Opportunities, Inc., (“Second Chance”) is a nonprofit organization located in Albany, New York. The organization’s mission is to assist and support people who are recovering from substance use disorder. Kellie Roe, the Executive Director, spoke with the Albany Law Community Development Clinic which is currently assisting Second Chance about the early beginnings of the organizations and its work in the community.
Kellie Roe is a wife and mother and a person in long-term recovery. To Kellie, what that means is that she has not had a drink or drug since February 6, 1995. Kellie considers it a privilege to be the Executive Director of Second Chance and loves the work that she does through the organization. But, Kellie did not originally find Second Chance.
Kellie’s husband, Brian Roe, and a couple of his friends founded Second Chance Opportunities in October of 2001. At that time, Kellie and her husband had full-time jobs at another not-for-profit which also worked with individuals in early-stage recovery. Kellie worked at that organization until 2011 when she was asked to become the Executive Director of Second Chance. When Kellie came on as the Executive Director, the organization was merely a shell with just a name and Kellie’s personal computer. Soon after Kellie took over the leadership within the organization, Second Chance was able to obtain its first janitorial contract at DMV in downtown Albany. Kellie’s role with Second Chance is her first and only executive role in any organization. It has been through mentorship that she has received from individuals like Liz Hitt, the Executive Director of Homeless and Travelers Aid Society, and Mickey Jimenez, the director of Camino Nuevo, which helped Kellie grow Second Chance into a completely self-supporting nonprofit that generates $500,000 in revenue, provides supportive housing, and employs or find job opportunities for at least 70 individuals in early-stage recovery. Second Chance prides itself on being a fully self-supporting organization because it gives them the flexibility in being the bridge for people to go from treatment to life in solid recovery. Second Chance provides a gamut of services to individuals in recovery (i.e., housing, education, employment, medical, hygiene, food, etc.), but the two main services that stand out are the housing and employment opportunities they provide to individuals in early-stage recovery.
Housing
In 2007, Kellie and her husband, Brian, personally acquired 3 two-family houses in Albany which were significantly inexpensive and did not require much capital to own. Initially, it was not the intention of Kellie and Brian to provide housing to people in recovery. It came about as a result of Kellie encountering individuals coming out of treatment needing a place to live. When people come out of recovery, Kellie normally finds that they have nothing but a plastic bag with clothes. The Department of Social Services (DSS) will help individuals with their first month’s rent but the payment generally maxes out at $350. The median gross rent in the City of Albany was $895 in 2016. Based on Kellie’s numerous encounters with individuals coming out of treatment in need of housing, Kellie and Brian decided to use two of the family homes that they acquired to house people in early-stage recovery. When a bed is available, individuals are welcome to stay in the home. Generally, Second Chance will work to decorate the room (i.e., provide a bed, dresser, desk, television, hangers, hamper, etc.). If an individual is in need of toiletries or clothing, Second Chance will provide individuals with the items they need and take an individual shopping for personal supplies (i.e., clothing). Initially, the individual is only charged $350 for rent. Kellie understands the huge undertaking it is for an individual coming out of treatment to find housing and most people are isolated from their friends at that critical time. Thus, Kellie believes in not creating a situation where individuals in early-stage recovery owe for anything. Even as individuals gain employment and obtain better-paying jobs, their rent maxes out at $450 per month plus $50-$60 per month for utilities, if the individual can afford to pay it. There’s no time limit for how long an individual can stay in the home. Kellie finds that by keeping their housing costs low, these individuals can accomplish other goals in life such as repairing their credit, going back to school, or saving up to afford their own apartment or even purchase their own home. Since Second Chance has started housing individuals, two individuals have been able to purchase their own homes and many others have gone on to rent their own places.
It is Second Chance’s goal to create more opportunities to provide supportive housing to many more individuals in early stage recovery. In April of 2013, Second Chance had the opportunity to buy 13 properties on one street. The goal was to provide these properties as supportive housing for more individuals in early-stage recovery, specifically women, and families which have very little access to supportive housing in the Capital District. For 18 months, Second Chance tried to find partners and resources in order to acquire the properties. After 18 months, the organization was not able to find partners so Kellie and Brian purchased the properties personally. The properties are not currently being used as supportive housing, but it is the organization’s goal to find resources to help subsidize the property taxes and other costs in order to provide these properties as supportive housing to individuals in early stage recovery.
Employment
Second Chance also works with individuals in early-stage recovery by providing job training and employing in their janitorial contracts. Second Chance will also work with other companies to help find jobs for individuals not interested in working in janitorial services. . Most of the janitorial contracts that Second Chance have are with state or county agencies which are beneficial since these contracts require paying prevailing wages (full time=$15.68/hr part-time=$11.75/hr).
Recovery Community Center
Second Chance has been working on obtaining a particular property to turn into a recovery community center. The property was originally owned by a nonprofit before it was foreclosed upon and its Second Chance’s goal to obtain this property since it is off the property tax-rolls because it would give the organization the ability to provide its current services on a bigger scale and expand into providing other services. Second Chance’s goal is to create a safe place where people in early-stage recovery can go when they have lots of downtime during the day and face fears of relapsing. Within this property, Second Chance wants to provide many types of classes, including but not limited to, lifestyle classes, classes on owning a home, classes on parenting and sobriety, and classes of repairing relationships. Second Chance plans on also using the space as a place where parents and families of individuals in crisis can go to get information and support since addiction can affect not just individuals but their families as well.
Leading Second Chance has provided Kellie and her staff the opportunity to explore creative ways to continue to fulfill their mission of acting as a bridge for people going from treatment to a life in full recovery. Last year, Second Chance tried its hand at fundraising and was able to raise $5,000 but the cost of running the fundraiser at $4,500 which left them with only $500. Still, everyone at the organization had a great time learning how to fundraise and they feel that they all play a key role in helping shape the organization’s future.