Dan Hugill (00:00):
Fitness is a program, I want to say a CrossFit program, but it’s so much more than that.
Mat Fraser (00:11):
I think that a big thing with this whole group is just the sense of community.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
The Redemption Road Fitness Foundation is a CrossFit program that is fundamentally changing the way reform happens in and after prison with around 2000 volunteers and participants in over four affiliated and 11 in development prisons. RF two teaches healthy habits through mentorship and accountability, giving participants the opportunity for a better life.
Mat Fraser (00:39):
Redemption Road is, at its core, a culture changing program. What we do is we take excellent people that have demonstrated that for decades or years at a time, and we help them by giving them the tools that they need in order to make a difference in somebody’s life.
Dan Hugill (01:01):
I volunteered for RF two because I found CrossFit in prison and it saved my life. And when I see what they’re doing it as a program in prison now, saving other people’s lives and not only saving other people’s lives, changing the whole dynamic of how prison works. That is something that I’d want to be a part of because I’ve never seen anything do that before. Never. There’s something to this.
Nick Wells (01:25):
It gives them an idea. It gives them a belief in themselves. It tears ’em down first and it builds them back up into stronger, more intelligent beings by learning to think under pressure, learning to deal with others on a different level, and you find out and pushing yourself and it changes you from the inside out. The alternative is really drugs and gains.
Mat Fraser (01:51):
Everyone’s coming together, everyone they’re suffering together. They’re putting in the work together, and there’s that bond that gets created. So I think just a combination of all those things. I think with the program they’re doing, it’s going to be life-changing
Speaker 3 (02:05):
Along with building healthy habits while incarcerated. The RF two community also gives members the support they need upon release. Our members proudly have a 0% recidivism rate.
Sophia Lind (02:17):
They are thriving. They are working. They’re part of their community. They’re building relationships. They’re living on their own. They’re doing everything they should be. And I hope they’re happy. I think they’re happy. They seem happy.
Sevan Matossian (02:44):
Bam, we’re live. Yo, everybody. Wow. Wow, wow, wow, wow. Good to see you guys. Holy cow. I was like, maybe I shouldn’t play that. Maybe YouTube will give me a strike then I was like, whatever. Fuck
Nick Wells (02:57):
It. Strike
Sevan Matossian (02:59):
Mike. Good to see you guys. Trevor. What’s up Nick? What’s up, Audrey? What’s up, Taylor? I think the only person I’ve met here before is Taylor. Is that right?
Taylor Doucet (03:06):
Yeah, yeah, that’s right. My camera won’t flip to my front camera on my laptop. I’m going back and forth. It just, it’s on the back. Don’t
Sevan Matossian (03:15):
Worry. It’s a live show. There’s only 1200 people watching. Don’t worry. It’s fine. They like this part of the show.
Taylor Doucet (03:22):
It’s backwards. I’m like, what? Heck,
Sevan Matossian (03:24):
Hey, go to, there’s a little gear. Taylor at the
Taylor Doucet (03:30):
Bottom. I’m hitting, I’m changing. I’m changing to, yeah, yeah, I’m hitting the front camera.
Sevan Matossian (03:37):
That’s a pretty fancy, oh, try back camera.
Taylor Doucet (03:41):
Yeah, I’m on the rear camera.
Sevan Matossian (03:44):
Oh, are there any other choices?
Taylor Doucet (03:48):
You guys want to see my office? I guess.
Sevan Matossian (03:51):
Hey, that’s a pretty fancy computer that has a front and a back camera.
Taylor Doucet (03:56):
Yeah, I was lucky I got Nice. That must be like
Sevan Matossian (04:00):
A PC or something. Audrey. Is there any way you, and it’s not vital, but is there any way you could turn your camera this way, your phone this way?
Audrey Jaksich (04:09):
I just flipped it.
Sevan Matossian (04:11):
Yes.
Audrey Jaksich (04:12):
Oh, now I’m upside down.
Sevan Matossian (04:13):
Oh, okay. Maybe your screen is locked. Do you know how to unlock your screen? Okay,
Audrey Jaksich (04:20):
There we go.
Taylor Doucet (04:22):
I’m going to, is it okay if I exit and try to reenter?
Sevan Matossian (04:26):
Yeah. Yes sir.
Taylor Doucet (04:28):
Okay. Sorry about that guys. Technical difficulty if while we’re live.
Sevan Matossian (04:31):
Yeah, it’s fine. They love this part of the show. Crazy. Last time Taylor was on, he was also holding a computer in his lab and that was a show 72. That was like 2000 shows ago, which is just wild for me. Kind of a little bit of a reality check for me of how much I’ve been getting at it. Tell me the name of the program. Audrey.
Audrey Jaksich (05:00):
It’s Redemption Road Fitness Foundation or we’ll use RFT for short,
Sevan Matossian (05:06):
A Redemption Road Fitness Foundation. 0% recidivism. That’s wild. Yeah. Congratulations. And Audrey, what do you do there? What’s your role there?
Audrey Jaksich (05:22):
I’m the treasurer for the board.
Sevan Matossian (05:24):
Okay, so you watched the money?
Audrey Jaksich (05:28):
Yep, I do all the money stuff.
Sevan Matossian (05:30):
And how did you get involved? What was your connection to it? What brought you to these waters?
Audrey Jaksich (05:37):
So my friend Liz, who I’d worked out with for a long time, found something on Facebook that they were having an event and she just made an announcement before our class and I kind of had an idea that this was going on. I didn’t really know anything about it or even that volunteers were to come in and just kind of on a whim decided to just do it. And that was almost five years ago and still here.
Sevan Matossian (06:09):
Did you have anyone behind bars in your family?
Audrey Jaksich (06:13):
No.
Sevan Matossian (06:14):
Your religious woman?
Audrey Jaksich (06:17):
No. No.
Sevan Matossian (06:19):
Just felt that,
Audrey Jaksich (06:19):
Just decided.
Sevan Matossian (06:21):
Why do you think you do it?
Audrey Jaksich (06:22):
Yeah, just decided to do it. I don’t know. I read an article in our local paper and I thought it sounded really cool and just didn’t know that there was an opportunity to go in and do it and had never done anything like that. Never been to prison, didn’t know anyone in a prison, and just kind of decided, well, screw it. I guess I’ll just try this. And I think we had about 12 or 15 people from our gym and I felt really comfortable going in with all those people and I had a wonderful time and decided to keep coming back.
Sevan Matossian (07:03):
And has it been five years of fulfillment? What’s your five year assessment of being involved with the program?
Audrey Jaksich (07:12):
At the end of the day, we’re all just people, and I just kind of found it really unfair that we judge people by really their worst moments and that people can really overcome those and they’re not just that one bad decision or those couple bad decisions, and you can just really make a connection with people and it’s always just so fun going in and talking to people and having common ground and a community. And that’s really what it’s all about.
Sevan Matossian (07:48):
Chris Bistro Fields says you need to be audited. Okay, we’ll get on that after Trevor. What’s up dude? Good to see you.
Trevor Jones (07:56):
Hey, good morning.
Sevan Matossian (07:58):
And what’s your role with Redemption Road Fitness?
Trevor Jones (08:03):
Well, originally I was one of the first couple guys who got started with it. It was me, Nick, Damien, Brandon, about six other guys. I’ve just kind of been doing everything since then. Right now I’m on the board and pretty much all the board members, we have different titles, but we all do just whatever’s necessary to keep things going. To think that Audrey is simply our treasurer would be a sad understatement of everything she actually does for us. Liz, she’s our volunteer coordinator, but she handles so much more than just that, so I help a lot with getting our message out, trying to get us some money, but more than anything, it’s just continually repping our program, trying to make sure people out here know what we’re about, we’re why we do it.
Sevan Matossian (08:57):
And Trevor, how long was your stay in jail?
Trevor Jones (09:01):
I did 26 and a half years.
Sevan Matossian (09:04):
Wow. You don’t look old enough to have done 26 and a half years.
Trevor Jones (09:07):
I got locked up when I was young.
Sevan Matossian (09:08):
Wow. How old?
Trevor Jones (09:10):
17.
Sevan Matossian (09:11):
And how old were you when you found the program?
Trevor Jones (09:15):
So I always kind of started with my own journey and the very end of 2016 out at Lyman Correctional Facility. Our friend Chris Harris, who became one of our main coaches early on, created a team competition.
Sevan Matossian (09:30):
And he was in too, he was an inmate also? Yeah,
Trevor Jones (09:33):
Yeah, he was in, he’s still part of the program. And just before RF two existed, guys like Nick and Damien and them have been doing some CrossFit. Me and some of my friends have been doing some strength training, a little bit of CrossFit to it, and Chris Harris created this cool. It was like a two or three day competition and there was really only three teams, but it was like three teams of four or five, and it was a real blast. And right after that, Damien and Cruiser kind of built up on that and started developing some stuff that ended up turning into RF two. So that’s pretty much where I feel like I got started with it. I think Nick and Damien and Cruise or Brandon Cruiser might feel like it for them. It started a little bit earlier with some of the things that they’ve been working on.
Sevan Matossian (10:23):
Hey, Trevor. So if I did the math right, if you were in for 26 and a half years and it’s 2024 and you started in 2016, this is very complicated. I’m going to say that you didn’t find it until you were already in for 18 years.
Trevor Jones (10:44):
And actually what really got me into it was I read first Brandon Cruiser had a copy of First, I read first, and then we watched the games. And honestly, me and my friend John Willis, who’s my best friend that we worked out with together forever, we were so impressed with what the women could do. We were like, we have to get involved in this because there’s something to this.
Sevan Matossian (11:08):
The women inmates, you were impressed by what they could do or videos you saw.
Trevor Jones (11:11):
Oh, actually just watching the women in the games.
Sevan Matossian (11:13):
Okay. Yeah. That’s crazy. That’s what got me into it too. I saw a video called Nasty Girls back in 2006, and I was like, what is this? This
Trevor Jones (11:23):
Is crazy.
Sevan Matossian (11:24):
This is nuts. Yeah, they’re very
Trevor Jones (11:26):
Inspiring.
Sevan Matossian (11:27):
And it took 10 months to figure out that first muscle. Hey, what’s the name of the book that you read? I want to see if I can find it on Amazon. It’s just called First.
Trevor Jones (11:34):
Yeah, by Rich.
Sevan Matossian (11:36):
Oh, oh, wow. You read that while you were in prison?
Trevor Jones (11:41):
Yeah, I read that in 2016 just before I started getting involved in the actual doing CrossFit.
Sevan Matossian (11:48):
Who gave you that book?
Trevor Jones (11:49):
Brandon Cruiser had it.
Sevan Matossian (11:51):
No shit. Wow.
Trevor Jones (11:52):
Yeah,
Sevan Matossian (11:53):
And I remember Brandon from the first time. Is he still in?
Trevor Jones (11:57):
Yeah, Brandon’s still in. He’s still doing everything he can. Our state prisons have gone through a lot of changes since Covid and there’s been really serious staff shortages. So all of our programming has had to evolve and they’ve had to find different ways to stay busy and stay focused, getting things done. But he’s still there. He is still working super hard, trying to bring positivity and community and inside.
Sevan Matossian (12:26):
This morning I was watching the first podcast I did with Brandon and with Taylor and with John, and he said he was supposed to get out in 2045.
Trevor Jones (12:38):
Well, I mean that might be what the sentence has on him right now. I don’t see Brandon doing that much time.
Sevan Matossian (12:45):
Yeah, it would be nice in California, they’re just letting everyone out. You could pretty much do anything. It’s just a free for all. It’s a purge. Maybe Brandon can get in on some of that. He could just get you just be like, yo, you’re good. You’re good. It’s fine. It’s good. I
Trevor Jones (12:58):
Would love to see it. There’s actually a lot of guys inside who have done a lot of really good work and have reformed themselves so thoroughly that it’s a shame that they’re still incarcerated. At this point. It is not serving any sociological benefit or purpose.
Sevan Matossian (13:12):
Man, we need to talk about that too. Nick. What’s up dude? The pre hefe. Oh, I think mute. You might be mute. I think your something’s off with your mic. Can you guys hear Nick? I can’t hear him. Yes sir. You see that gear down there at the bottom? Let me see. You guys behave. Behave in the comments please. You guys don’t read the comments? Do not read the comments. It’s a wily bunch in here every morning. Look, they’re already calling us the Brady Bunch over here. No sir. We still can’t hear you. Can you hear us, Nick? Oh, that’s good. Well, that’s going to be a great show for you. Listen and listening.
(14:09):
Maybe go to, you’re unmuted. Let me see. Go to the gear and then hit the audio. Did you do that? And then did you just try any mic? Did you try a variety of mics? Anything? Do you have a phone? Do you want to jump on with a phone? Okay. And then could someone text Nick Taylor? Could you text Nick the link? So he has awesome. You the man, dude. And I’m looking at you guys now and none of you guys are behind bars now all you are out. No wonder this was so easy to do. Last time was fucking crazy.
Trevor Jones (14:48):
Actually, in the last two years, a bunch of people who’ve been involved in our program have gotten out and are doing really, really well. The CrossFit community has been super receptive. A lot of our guys, if they got their L ones or L twos inside have found at least homes and some CrossFit gyms, if not jobs. Most of our guys who have their L ones and L twos have found work in CrossFit since getting out.
Sevan Matossian (15:13):
Oh, Taylor, is that the posse that’s gotten out or is that the crew that’s inside right now?
Taylor Doucet (15:17):
That is most of the, can you guys hear me? Yeah,
Sevan Matossian (15:21):
Great question. Great question. Taylor.
Taylor Doucet (15:24):
I’m going to go on this full thing and then you guys, you guys what? Yeah, we’ve had a mass exodus, a great mass exodus from Department of Corrections, especially with some high level members in RF two that help start it or have been kind of pivotal in its progression and where it’s at right now. So that is a barbecue. We do one of those at our buddy Mike’s house. I mean I’ve been, each year, we’ve only done two years now, but for about two years, that was this last one that we had. And everybody in there had done probably close to a decade, if not double that, like Trevor and there’s a few people in there, and even the first year was a little bit bigger. Now everybody has jobs and things like that, so trying to get the barbecue together is hard.
Sevan Matossian (16:13):
Taylor, when you were on the show last time you were in and you were the guy in the middle and you had a laptop, what ended up happening with your sentencing? Did you get out early? Did the program help? Did it play a role in you getting out and did you get out early?
Taylor Doucet (16:31):
Okay, so the criminal justice system is complicated. So I guess I’ll break it down as easy as possible to answer that question, please, best as possible. Because of RF two, I didn’t necessarily get out early, but I did. So objectively speaking from a law standpoint, no, but subjectively speaking, you basically, there’s no, the only way you mandatorily get out, California’s a little different. You were making jokes about California, but when they’re like parole date comes up, that’s their parole date in Colorado, it is a subjective parole date as well as community corrections. Therefore, if your community corrections date comes up, they’re like, yeah, your date came up, but it’s up to us still.
Sevan Matossian (17:11):
Right? What’s a community corrections date? What’s that? What’s community corrections date?
Taylor Doucet (17:15):
So halfway house. So it’s kind of like a transition
(17:18):
Where you go to a, it’s still a facility. It’s still a facility, and it is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a halfway transition point. So you’re still in a facility, you have to stay there overnight, you check out, you are still actually a DOC inmate. So that being the case, you only have X amount of freedom. And also if you have any years hanging over your head, the moment you mess up at a halfway house, you still have all that time hanging over your head. So at a 28 year sentence, I got out after 11 years, therefore I still had about 17 years hanging over my head. So if I messed up during that period of time, I would’ve had that whole 17 years to do still. Right. Nick, I think we get a little feedback from you.
Sevan Matossian (18:05):
I think that’s you, Taylor, because I muted him and it didn’t go away. I think you’re good, Nick.
Nick Wells (18:15):
Okay. Can you guys hear me now?
Sevan Matossian (18:17):
Yeah. Let’s see. Let’s see. Taylor was trying to blame you, but we’re about to find out the truth here. Yeah,
Nick Wells (18:22):
His mo.
Sevan Matossian (18:25):
Okay, so unmute yourself Taylor. Okay, go ahead. Did you go to one of those houses?
Taylor Doucet (18:32):
I did. And the appointment with me bringing that up was I did get out first try and actually the halfway house actually asked me to come to their facility, which is not a thing. They were like, Hey, would you come to our place and do some, because RF two is how they know about me. I do presentations for community corrections, which is halfway houses and stuff like that for our program. And I kind of handle the transition aspect of it, which is just people that were incarcerated, helping just people get out as well as all of us do that. So it’s not just myself, but inside I was kind of trying to coordinate some things and so they asked me to come to that place, which is their halfway house. And so first try, I was able to exit prison on the first date that I could have possibly left. So yes, RF two did help me get out.
Sevan Matossian (19:18):
Yeah, something’s going on with your audio. Can you choose a different mic or do you have, it sounds like someone in, there’s sharpening pencils for a living. Is that someone’s occupation? Do they have an electric pencil sharpener? They’re running in there.
Taylor Doucet (19:28):
No, I got nothing going on in here. I got no fans going. I got No,
Sevan Matossian (19:32):
That’s weird. You looked at the floor, you had a kid. That’s the look a parent gives when they’re like, what are you doing?
Taylor Doucet (19:37):
I got three fur babies but no kids.
Sevan Matossian (19:40):
Oh, okay.
Nick Wells (19:40):
Alright, nice.
Sevan Matossian (19:43):
Hey, what do you think? So you were in there and your date came up or the halfway house knew about you and they forced your date.
Taylor Doucet (19:57):
So my date came up. There’s nothing that the community corrections people can do out the legislation of your time compensation, but they still did kind of force their hand in how quickly that happens. Usually getting out is a process and they moved me right to the top of the list because of RF two and things like that. And hopefully helping them get into their facility and kind of run some groups. I still to this day run CrossFit groups every single Saturday and every other Monday and some Fridays there’s an affiliate called Wild Horizons in Fort Collins. I still hear that feedback. I don’t know what is going on.
Sevan Matossian (20:35):
Do you have a phone?
Taylor Doucet (20:37):
Do you have a phone? Yes.
Sevan Matossian (20:39):
You want to try coming on with your phone?
Nick Wells (20:41):
Sure.
Sevan Matossian (20:42):
Alright, awesome. Nick, you’re the president. You’re El Hefe.
Nick Wells (20:45):
I am. I’m El president. How’s it going? Thanks for having me.
Sevan Matossian (20:49):
Yeah, dude, my pleasure. Thanks for doing this, you guys.
Nick Wells (20:52):
Yeah, absolutely.
Sevan Matossian (20:53):
The first show I did was everyone’s like, Hey, that was your best show ever. And that was like 2000 shows again. And then my sister Nick was like, Hey, you should have those guys on again. I’m like, okay. And then she said it again. I’m like, okay. And she kept bugging me for a couple months. So then finally I connected her and my producer and I’m like, you guys figure it out. I’m too busy at the beach living my life. And then here you guys are. And I’m stoked. I’m really stoked. My sister and Matt did this.
Nick Wells (21:20):
Yeah, it’s super cool. I remember listening to the first show, I was still incarcerated and my boss was cool enough. We went up to our office and pulled it up online and got to listen to it. And yeah, it was a great show. I really enjoyed it. And I’m out now, obviously I’m free. And so I was absolutely super happy to be invited to come back on your show on TV
Sevan Matossian (21:42):
Show. How long were you in?
Nick Wells (21:44):
14 years
Sevan Matossian (21:46):
And Oh, small time. So you had it easy?
Nick Wells (21:50):
I had it easy compared to Trevor for sure.
Sevan Matossian (21:52):
Crazy. And how old are you?
Nick Wells (21:54):
44.
Sevan Matossian (21:55):
And were you in the same facility that John was in from the first show?
Nick Wells (21:59):
Yeah, so Trevor, John and I, Damien and Brandon Cruiser, we were all together at Lyman Correctional Facility, kind of started the whole program together, working out. We were friends beforehand for years and years, and we were all together just kind of all into fitness in our own different ways. And the program kind of just evolved from our friendship and it’s grown so far now that, yeah, I got out, I started CrossFit in 2000, I would say 2012, 2013 is when I started really getting into the CrossFit world. I actually saw a reps magazine that had Richard Froning on the front. And yeah, I was trying everything at the time when I was sentenced, I was like 400 pounds. So I was trying to lose weight. I was trying to just find an avenue of fitness and all these magazines were aligned to me about six Minute Abs and all that stuff that wasn’t
Sevan Matossian (23:00):
Working. Nick, you were 400 pounds in prison?
Nick Wells (23:04):
Yeah, in the county jail.
(23:07):
And then, yeah, so my friend Damien was doing CrossFit and I just kind of looked at him and I was like, man, this guy knows what he’s doing. It looks way funner than doing five sets of five on the bench press. So I was like, all right, well I’m going to get involved in that. And so him and I started just doing CrossFit together for a while. I lost 200 pounds and yeah, Richard Frons magazine kind of sealed the deal. I was like, these guys and ladies are killing the game. And so we started doing CrossFit strength training, doing all sorts of different exercises. There was a show on PBS called The Truth, which will always stand out to me because a guy in Chattanooga, Tennessee had just a small gym and he would go over the whiteboard session and then he would go over the workout of the day and then they would just show clips of people working out and then they would show afterwards everybody laying around high fiving each other and we would just go out and mimic those workouts. And it really just became a way of life for me.
Sevan Matossian (24:12):
Have you guys met Rich? Have any of you guys met Rich?
Nick Wells (24:15):
I met him last year at the games, actually at the airport. We were on the same flight from Madison to Chicago, and I got a chance to let him know what he meant to me and the direction my life went just from watching his career from afar.
Sevan Matossian (24:34):
Trevor, have you met him? Have you met Rich?
Trevor Jones (24:39):
No, I would love to meet Rich
Nick Wells (24:40):
Though. Yeah, I think we’re going to be meeting him in when we get back from the games. He’ll be up here at the Leadville 100, but Ben Bruss riding his bike. Yeah, Ben Bruss is, I did the Mayhem Missions podcast and I’m pretty good friends with the guy that runs that. And so I think we’re trying to figure out a way we can get him into a facility and coordinate that right now.
Sevan Matossian (25:03):
Dude, that’s awesome, man. He is a cool dude.
Nick Wells (25:08):
Yeah, for sure.
Sevan Matossian (25:09):
Yeah, they say you don’t want to meet your heroes, but when you meet Rich, he does not disappoint. Yeah, it it’s truly wild. So how long were you in before you found CrossFit? It must’ve been early on if you were still in the county jail.
Nick Wells (25:24):
Yeah. Well, I found CrossFit once I got to prison. I started fitness when I was in the county jail. I was arrested in oh eight. Spent a couple years in the county jail just fighting my case. I had a large amount of burglaries and motor vehicle thefts and stuff like that. I was
Sevan Matossian (25:39):
Addicted. Thank you for sharing that, by the way. Like what’s he in for? What’s he in for?
Nick Wells (25:43):
Yeah, you can Google it. It’s all over nonviolent theft crimes. And I was addicted to drugs for a very long time, which brought me to a life of stealing stuff to get money. And once I was arrested, I came down off the drugs and I just replaced one addiction for another. So I started eating a lot and I gained a tremendous amount of weight. And then I knew I was going to prison the rest of my life because Colorado had a habitual criminal law where they give you four times the sentence once you’ve been arrested. It’s a drawn out process. How
Sevan Matossian (26:15):
Many times were you arrested?
Nick Wells (26:18):
12 or 13.
Sevan Matossian (26:19):
Okay. All for the same thing, like getting caught stealing or drugs,
Nick Wells (26:22):
All for the same thing. Drugs and stealing. And finally when I got my 60 year sentence is when, so I went to Lyman Correctional Facility in 2011, and that’s when I met Damien. So I started CrossFit right around the beginning of 2012. And by March of 2013 I was down 200 pounds, which was cool.
Sevan Matossian (26:46):
Hey, I spent several years being homeless and it was by choice. And of the thousand people I met when I was homeless, there were only two of us who weren’t drug addicts of the other 998 were all drug addicts. And what’s fascinating to me, and this is just a little side of social commentary, the news and politicians keep talking about homeless people and I wish they’d understand that they’re not homeless people. And I’m curious what your take is on this. Nick. Their drug addicts in the profession of drug addicts is because of the hierarchy of their needs is stealing. So their vocation is stealing and what they do is drugs. And then that causes eventual mental illness along with the paranoia of being a crook. And they’re not even interested in that. We’re not even interested in housing or they weren’t even interested in housing. It’s basically their job sort of sets them up to where having a home is low on the priority. A normal man wants housing and a girl and food. But when you’re in drugs, you kind of kick the girls and food and housing out. And that’s why when you drive by those encampments, there’s,
(27:59):
There’s just loads of other people’s bikes and tents and you just see other people’s shit piled up. Is that kind of your assessment too? I wish they would rename it as like, Hey, we got to get people off of drugs so that they’ll stop stealing and then once they’re off of drugs, they’ll reprioritize getting their own housing.
Nick Wells (28:18):
Yeah, absolutely. So you’re exactly right. The hierarchy of needs is way different when you’re a drug addict. So your drugs are obviously the very top, that’s priority number one. And then obviously getting the drugs is priority number two. So without a nine to five, because if you just had a nine to five, you’d probably be sober and not doing those things. So your nine to five is stealing. And so those are your two highest priorities. Yeah. Housing is, at the very least of your concern is somewhere to do drugs. And if you can just find that on the street and that’s what it is. So yeah, I agree with you a hundred percent. I believe that homelessness is a direct cause from drug abuse and mental illness, which should be addressed. I always find it ironic that every Monday you watch the news, I quit watching the news, but you could see on the news that this movie just topped the bestseller and we raised $500 million on a Friday night to watch Star Wars the 19th edition, but you can never raise $500 million on a Friday night to combat mental illness or drug addiction. And so those things, you’re happy if you get a $10,000 donation. And it’s really sad state of where we’re at in the world. It is mental illness it, but once you get clean from the drugs, I was addicted to drugs for 14 years and my paradigm has completely shifted to sobriety and obviously the president of this company, I worked for another nationwide nonprofit called the Phoenix, which deals in recovery as well. And your life can change.
The above transcript is generated using AI technology and therefore may contain errors.
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