"Depression runs in my family," says Carmine. Attempts to self-medicate – "there’s a vacancy that’s much too easily colonized by substances" – had long-since hardened into a life dominated by drug use.
"I had just started going to meetings when 9/11 happened," Carmine remembers, the events of that day forever fixing in time both the lowest ebb of his life and the start of his recovery.
In 2002, Carmine became a Community Access tenant. Every single day since – 14 years and counting – he’s been clean and sober. Six months after moving in, he got a full-time job at a local jewelry company, a job he still has today.
"I’m very grateful," says Carmine, now 59. "I moved in with two garbage bags, and was still pretty messed up. Thanks to Community Access, I got my life back."
Further Reading
Behavioral Health News:
The Keys to My Recovery: Stable Supportive Housing and Meaningful Employment
August 2014 · Article by Carmine Bassano, CA Tenant