Success Story

The following is an excerpt from a recent Blanchet Blog post, recounting the program's effect on Lindsey, a veteran who found his way to the Farm after struggling with substance addiction to cope with PTSD.

Farm Manager Ross assigns every new resident to the care and feeding of the five large pigs kept for therapeutic purposes. The farm also keeps goats, chickens, ducks, dogs, cats, and bees. After three months at the Farm, Lindsey is making a plan for his future with the help of a Case Manager. 

“I know this place is responsible somehow. When I’m out working in the garden with my hands in the dirt, it’s grounding me. The farm helps the body recalibrate. It forces your brain and body to simplify. work gives me time to reflect,” he says. The farm also provides a fun place for his two daughters to visit him during his recovery. He hopes to one day mend his marriage and family completely. “I feel blessed,” he says. “Don’t give up on people. I have been shown grace here.” 

Another individual who forged a new direction in life was Diane, a former guest of our free meal program who established sobriety and went on to serve her community as a Peer Support Specialist, becoming a beacon of fresh starts for others who are also seeking to escape homelessness.

“One of my first little spiritual awakenings was when I promised Tony [a resident who works in Blanchet House’s free cafe] that I would be here for lunch. I dragged myself to the cafe even though I didn’t feel good,” says Diane. “I didn’t want to disappoint Tony.”

Being expected to show up to eat gave Diane the incentive to do so. That accountability was one of her first steps toward sobriety, which she maintains to this day.