More Room for a Fresh Start

 

Rodney Beaver had no academic credentials, little direct work experience and no degree to boast of when he was approached by the board of Recovery Center of the Ozarks in Harrison to fill their executive director position.

 

What he did have was far more valuable; something that not only landed him the job but has allowed him to lead the organization to previously unimagined success in helping men shake the shackles of addiction.

 

“I really had no experience at all in this,” he said. “I was just an alcoholic and addict; I was in addiction for 21 years of my life. Got sober, cleaned up when I was 38 and I had about four or five years when they hired me. I guess just something about my sobriety was attractive to them.”

 

Another point in Beaver’s favor was his demonstrated willingness to help others. He completed peer support specialist training in order to serve others suffering as he once did.

 

“Working in recovery was something that I just had a passion for and I definitely wanted to make it my life’s work,” he said. “I think the stars aligned, you know? God had a plan and put me in contact with the right board of directors and after some meetings and conversations, they liked what I had to say and my view on recovery. We’ve just been going full speed ahead ever since.”

 

Recovery Center of the Ozarks provides men a transitional home following medical detox during which time they learn the skills for functioning in society and developing the support system to help maintain their sobriety. The program is designed to take a a year, but is individualized to each client, some of whom progress faster where others take a little longer.

 

“One of the big struggles people have when they go into recovery is, say you have no money, no job, no vehicle, no house, you’re homeless and you’ve got a drug addiction,” Beaver said. “I could go work a job, but what am I going to do with a couple hundred bucks? That’s not going to solve my problems; that’s not going to get me a house and a car and pay my fines, pay child support. It can be so overwhelming that many people just say, ‘It’s just a lot easier to go get drunk or high.’

 

Rodney Beaver

 

Thanks to opioid settlement funds administrated through the Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership (ARORP), the organization is now able to deliver its programs in a more effective way. Recovery Center of the Ozarks received nearly $610,000 in settlement money with which it secured housing that allows them to serve 12 men in the program, a part time data specialist and, perhaps most importantly, two full time peer support specialists.

 

“When you have a program like what we offer, and you’re able to put together a plan alongside a peer recovery specialist, you can slowly start chipping away at things,” Beaver said. “It’s just like the saying, ‘You don’t know what you don’t know.’ Some people don’t know how to schedule a doctor’s appointment or they don’t know how to sign a rental agreement or they don’t know how to get their electricity or how to apply for a car loan. All those unknowns, we have resources or are able to offer an assisting hand in that process.

 

“The only thing I knew when I got out of recovery was I’ve got to have a job, you know, and not drink and drug and in my mind, that was pretty much it. I also just kind of thought, ‘I’m just going to be no good the rest of my life.’ Today we’re able to offer so many resources and perspectives and opportunities for these guys that I would have loved to have had.”

 

The Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership is a joint initiative of the Association of Arkansas Counties and the Arkansas Municipal League. Formed to oversee and manage distribution of some of the funds received by the city and county through national lawsuit settlements related to the opioid crisis, ARORP represents a network of organizations committed to providing frontline community-based support to address the harm done by the opioid epidemic. Initiatives address gaps in local services and range from sober living and recovery programs to education and prevention efforts.

 

For Beaver, the settlement funding was a blessing in that it allowed the group to accelerate its goals of better living accommodations and additional personnel, something that would have taken years to do otherwise. He said he’s excited about what the future holds and how many people the organization can help going forward.

 

“We’re able to provide perspective and insight and, I think, accurately portray to them that they are making progress,” he said. “Time does take time but if you continually do this, you’re not going to live in a mansion on a hill or live by the lake, or brand-new vehicles in a couple years, but you might in 10 years. A lot can happen over the course of time if you maintain a course and continue that upward trajectory and have a purpose.

 

We’re not going to solve your problems, but we’re right there with you while you do and we’ll help you. Understanding your goals and limitations, learning how to enforce boundaries and all the principles that builds a good life, you’re probably not going to master all that tomorrow but if you stick with it, you’ll start to see it a little more clearly every day.”

 

Learn More:

Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership

arorp.org