Felix has spent most of his life suffering from addiction. “I’ve been an addict for 17 years. I’m 30 now,” he said, adding that he started smoking marijuana at 12. While he graduated high school and went to community college, Felix dropped out when he began using methamphetamines and his drinking increased.

After a drunk altercation, Felix was arrested on a weapons charge and placed on house arrest under the care of his family. Although the altercation did not involve Felix’s sisters, they filed a temporary restraining order against Felix. With nowhere else to go, Felix resorted to sleeping in the streets.

“I slept in the park and under cars when it was raining. I had no money, no job, no car. I was just wasting away in my addiction,” Felix shared. “I thought that using drugs was just going to be for a moment. But then it was one year, three years, five years, then10- plus years. What I thought were just moments were actually years of my life flashing by.”

Felix heard about Renewed Hope during a recovery meeting, a requirement of his parole. “A (program resident) recommended this program to me. He said I would have to follow rules, change my way of living, and that I would need to turn to Christ, but that my life would change. And I said, ‘You know what, that honestly sounds like a really good idea.’”

In March 2024, Felix entered the men’s Life Recovery Program at RMA San Fernando Valley. He was pleasantly surprised by the facility. “It’s a really nice place. They have actual beds here,” Felix laughed. “They immediately helped me get this program approved by the courts and my parole officer. Now I can go do all the activities, like work therapy, church, life classes.”

Felix has recognized the change in himself since attending the program. “I feel different now. I love to journal every day. My mood is much better. I never used to have a smile on my face,” he said. “In the beginning, I was so focused on the trauma of living on the streets that I worried about being homeless again. But I shouldn’t be thinking about that. I should be thinking about my future, my sobriety. I cherish every moment I can now.

“My favorite part was that I was baptized. I deal with issues differently now through Christ and prayer. Everything I do, I do through Christ and the Word.”

Felix’s sisters dropped the restraining order once he entered the program, and upon graduation, he’s excited to reconcile. Felix is grateful to the program for helping him navigate the courts, and hopes to find an apartment, car, and job. Felix plans to continue journaling and remain sober.

“I want to be 60 years old and say, ‘I haven’t smoked a joint or meth or drank a beer since I was 30 years old.’ How cool will that be?”