Thing in as we continue to talk with leaders in our community. Joining me today is Robert Smiley with the hand up project. Robert, Can you tell us a little bit about the hand up project and what you've been up to lately? Hand of project We're foundation is designed to help people that are in hopeless situations and the majority of the time that's detox and treatment of chemical dependency issues. As well as mental health. And a lot of it now is home with this. What we do is we tried to be on site foreign. Somebody needs help will pick him up for him in the passenger seat, and we'll drive them to where they need to go to get into the next phase of whatever their mental health or whatever. It's gonna walk them along to the next step. On the clean up when we're going to Woods will go in, and we offer backpacks in surprise and food, and we'll know that when they're ready, we're here. Just pick up the phone call us and we'll get him into detox and treatment the same day, But also we do a lot with people calling us saying they have loved ones or they themselves are just done and they want help, and it's Fair amount that we just head right over. Sure scooped him up. And whenever there's pauses, that's when they have an opportunity to rethink and there No, My brain is out to kill me because here is helps me to make some of the worst decisions out there. He told me it's okay. I could use one more day and it never works out the way my brains plans that I expect the same without this work with there's any gaps. We're going to lose him. What got you into this work? I was I was a homeless addict for many years and I kept trying to, uh, step programs and I get it for 22 years totals this time around, though somebody told me in the meeting Robert, If you're tired of failing at this program, you might want to actually try this program. So I committed myself to one year a year in the day And then I was gonna party to get that one year I was gonna do everything that was suggested everything I was told to do whether agreed with it, whether I thought it was right or wrong. I was just going to do it. I turned out. You know, Once I remove my opinion out of a scenario, then I got close to a year and I didn't even realize it. I was so Grateful for the new life down living, and it's all because of that of people during the instructions. Turns out I just had the what? Listen to other people that have been through the process. I love that story. And I love it because first of all, when I met you when you were clean and sober and so to hear, hear the stories about you just blow me away because I see all the good work you're doing, and it's hard for me to picture you as a homeless drug addict. But on the other hand You know things that a lot of people who try to help in services they help coming from a reference of not knowing what it's like to be there. So how is the hand up project different people? I was doing it so that I could stay sober, but I had I use my experience to help them to get them back on their feet. Once they got on their feet. Um and they're working a program and making changes. The best recourse was to have them help me find others. And so now it's just going to the point where I've got a whole bunch of people that are recovered homeless addicts. They're going out there and helping others and when they help others where they do the needle garbage cleanups that we do they see themselves and the only difference is They've made a decision to listen. It was another people, and now they're part of the solution As part of nerves. Maintaining recovery is helping others. Not only does it benefit them to go out and help others because others are getting help, but it also helps them to serve like to say, because we like helping people The reality is when I'm trying to help somebody and they're giving me excuses or stories I recognize myself years ago. And I realized that if I don't maintain being open and honest and completely transparent, then I'm gonna go back to being that person and I'm going to do whatever it takes Not to only way I could remind myself is by seeing it in others and seeing like how far you've come in. What can happen if I stopped? Doing? What work. I was one of those that Satur and told Oh, I won't work for me or I'm not ready yet, Or I give up. That stuff's not gonna help me. I came up with every story in the book like I run into Most addicts house And once he realized when they gave up and just work this program the way it was written their life's changes, and they shake their head because one of it's depressing that I couldn't fix myself. I want to be, you know, be able to take credit for fixing myself. But it wasn't until I gave my world my life over to a higher power program that taught me to be accountable on a daily basis. Do I actually start? Having a life worth living, and none of it was my suggestion. Talk to me about gratitude. Gratitude aspect is phenomenal because Right now, the way my life is going, I don't care about money. I don't have money. But whenever I needed money, it seems to show up. I don't know how it works. But I'm grateful for because I need that money to get people to detox and treatment, cover housing or medical bills or ideas, and I don't know how it all works. I just know that when it's needed, it appears Actually, my gratitude. Jizz is I've got a power where you do myself involved in my life that is watching out for me if I'm willing to stop and listen, how do you talk to an addict is on the street. Do you talk to them about gratitude program? Mainly try to give them to be honest with me they could because for the most part, they start with the stories. And the reason why they're that way is because whatever people have done and until we stop them and start taking responsibility for our actions, we don't grow. We don't stop doing it. It can't be because my mom or my dad did this to me. It can't be because somebody else thought I was a bad person. Or if I'm making the choice to pick up a drink or a drug. Instead of not and going through the turmoil and worked into the problem with a professional, So telling their story is a big part of their getting well, there has to be what we found is and it's also with studies and stuff like that is when people tell talk about their situation. That's when they get most of the ideas of they recognized that what they're part of it and it woz and falls into place. You just have to be conscious is what you're describing in your story. Why did you use it? Because you're you your body is, uh And she don't want one a lot of dope on me. Once it started getting in. It's not going to stop and it's gonna change your way of thinking the blaming others whenever their intention to get well as the fight. It's the battles I've been hearing lately. Relapse is part of recovery after being it does not have to be a part of recovery or changing your life. I know quite a few people who have and I have quite a few people. I said. I've tried, but relapse is part of my recovery. And it's for 22 years. I kept going in and out in and out, no relapse. And But truth, Wasit wasn't that the relapse was bound to happen. It was going to happen when I didn't stop and get honest with myself and find somebody that would walk me through the steps. Or help me die, Identify my own issues and be willing to listen to him. This stuff isn't easy, and I don't have good excuses to go back out. Go back out because I want to use being around other people in recovery and also helping others that need recovery. But we do it in a group group setting so that it's not just one person China save another person because it's not gonna work that always ends up to somebody relapse him Because back of our minds we're seeing how tasty drugs and alcohol were we forget all about the negative. We think about how did it was still not remembering that as soon as we take that drink with a drug that instant regret is in our heads. We forget all that stuff. Now I understand you have a new program. Do you want to tell us about that? Well, we've been helping to give people in tow off the streets and into either detox treatment or mental health or employment, veteran.