The mistakes of the past never seem to stay behind the people who make them. The shadows of those mistakes often loom large over the potential progress of one’s future.
Drug addiction, criminal litigation, and the most insidious of all misfortunes, early childhood trauma; these scars can dim the brightest of lights.Yet occasionally, organizations like The Reclaim Project emerge to provide help to members of its communities.
An organization designed exclusively to help men, whether a released inmate, an addict beginning their long road of recovery or if they just want something better for their lives, they can all find assistance through The Reclaim Project.
The building that serves as the home base is affectionately known as The Porch. The Porch serves as the waygate for new members entering into the Reclaims housing program. They also run the daily support groups there as well. A deeper dive into the porch will reveal a workout facility, yoga room, offices for admin employees, and a staging area for donated furniture.
The individuals tasked with overseeing the vital functions of The Porch’s daily operations tend to be men who first came through the doors in search of help and housing, Men like Kody Jerrod.
“Without the reclaim project,” I would be nothing. Before the Reclaim Project I had nothing,” Jerrad said.
Jerrad is now a Housing Coordinator and often serves as the initial point of contact for men looking for help from the Reclaim project.
Members of this organization don’t always find their way to the Porch in the same fashion. Like Justin, who is in charge of the donation intake process and The Porch’s top fitness guru. His journey to this place began from the walls of a mental facility. His time was restricted in the beginning, as he was part of a furlough program designed to help residents as they integrate back into society.
“I’ve surrounded myself with good guys that genuinely want to do good for themselves and good for the community we live in,” CFO Aaron Allen says.
The origins of the reclaim project can be traced back to Allen and the friendship he formed with CEO Sean Kingsberry.
Allen was already renting rooms from a house that he owned, yet he was already contemplating the acquisition of a house across the street, though he was hesitant to expand the size and scope of his already oversized workload.
Enter Sean Kingsberry, who was originally employed by Allen to provide repair work for Allen’s home. Their interactions would quickly evolve into a deep and committed friendship,
a friendship that would share the same vision for moving forward. A friendship that led to Allen’s sobriety and a partnership with Kingsberry, a partnership that would breathe life into what is now known as The Reclaim Project.
As their vision grew into something larger and more sweeping, so too did the organization grow. Now, along with housing and services dedicated to sobriety, they also own a thrift store called The Fiddy Club, which is located in the Spokane Valley. They also have dedicated work crews. Some of which provide paid construction services, clean-up crews, and other general labor services.
“To give men control of their lives, then they need personal agency,” Kingsberry said. “Employment, housing, and belief in themselves to control the future of their lives.”
“The chances that we take with helping these guys often reveal some of the best and most capable people I know,” Allen said.
One such person is an individual named Chris Bertram. Newly released from prison and living in Brownstone, a halfway house, he would be introduced to Kingsbury for a drywalling job.
This introduction would lead to Bertram being placed in charge of the Valley City crew, which handles most of the city’s paid work. Bertram would also be placed in charge of a home and all the people living in it. Making him vital in the leadership roles that now serves.
“ I owe everything to Aaron, Sean, and the reclaim project,” Bertram said.
Bertram’s past is one riddled with loss and sorrow. 30 years of active heroin abuse, prison incarceration, and the death of two of his children. A cycle that seemed to be forever doomed to failure and grief.
“Society thinks after prison you automatically change your life, do good, and society is wrong. You need support, community, and a purpose,” Bertram said.
That’s exactly what the Reclaim project aims to give men like Bertram, men who have faced some of the absolute worth that life can throw at you. Yet as the dust settles these men are still standing. Made strong by the community of peers they now know. Made stable by the homes they now call their own. Made wise by the support services they were given access to.
To help the many, you must first help a few. The Reclaim Project started with a shared idea between two friends and has now become the deciding factor in the lives of so many men who were able to find something better for themselves. A shared vision that still seeks to help people reclaim all that was lost, one life at a time.