Stories

Our time in the field gives us a personal view on what it’s
like to watch someone make the decision to grow through
adversity to find their true self.

robert of community service alliance

Robert

Robert arrived in Cleveland, Ohio 15 years ago with his wife and children to begin work as a messenger for a bank. What started as casual, social drinking slowly morphed into alcoholism when marital problems arose. As time went on, Robert’s addiction spiralled out of control until his cousin helped him check into Stella Maris […]

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brazzie headshot

Brazzie

After seeing the monstrosities of war first-hand, Vietnam War veteran, Brazzie began using when serving in Vietnam. When he returned home to the United States, his addiction snowballed and worsened when he lost both of his parents, as well as his sister, in the span of three years. Without any family to turn to at […]

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max of community service alliance

Max

Max grew up in the Cleveland, Ohio suburb of Bainbridge. As a teenager, Max never had a career focus, other than to become the best criminal he could. Eventually, Max began using heroin and committing petty theft. After being in and out of county jail, Max was arrested in 2009 for aggravated robbery and sentenced […]

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james of community service alliance

James

As a Cleveland native, James frequented Browns, Cavaliers, and Indians games growing up. No matter where life took him, James always found his way back to Cleveland. After meeting a couple of boys at the local YMCA, James started running the streets and became a father at a young age. James struggled with alcohol and […]

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Calvin Henderson

Calvin

Calvin has been a resident with CSA since January 2017, living first at Procop House and then moving on to a longer-term transitional setting at Sandy’s House. Immediately upon his arrival at CSA, Calvin demonstrated a consistent willingness to put his life back together in every way. He jumped right in with Tom Cullinan, our […]

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Robert Johnson

Robert

When Robert arrived at Community Service Alliance in April of 2019, he was terrified. It was his first attempt at recovery after an ongoing struggle with addiction and a 10-month stay at a local inpatient treatment center – longer than most average stays at such facilities. “I was afraid of relapsing because I’d never done […]

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Louis Brown of Community Service Alliance

Louis

Louis came to Community Service Alliance’s Procop House in the fall of 2019 in early sobriety with very few resources except a job as a laborer with a siding company. When the pandemic hit in early 2020, Louis lost his job, but he maintained a positive attitude and worked with the CSA staff to get […]

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Greg Patouhas of Community Service Alliance

Greg

When Greg arrived at Community Service Alliance fresh from inpatient alcohol and drug treatment in May 2015, he recalls that he didn’t know whether he was coming or going. “I had no ambition, structure or routine. My attitude was immature and pessimistic, but I did know that I wanted to stay sober.” Greg had never […]

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