Next Steps The Colony

There are moments in this work that remind us exactly why Independence House exists.

This week, we celebrated our very first graduate from the men’s house. ❤️

When he first came to us, he was incredibly sick. Detox became life or death, and he ended up in the ICU fighting for his future. Today, he’s living proof that recovery is possible when someone has a safe place to land and people willing to walk beside them.

Now he’s stepped down into IOP, is back to working, showing up for service work, and helping encourage the other men still living in the house. Watching him go from surviving…to leading…has been something special.

Recovery is simple, but there is nothing easy about it. The men in our houses fight hard every single day for the lives they’re rebuilding. And today, we celebrate one man who chose to keep going.

We are so proud of you. Keep taking your next steps. 💙

Our residents know what it feels like to keep ending up in the same place. We’re so grateful when they choose to live with us and begin walking a different, safer path—one step at a time.

Autobiography in Five Short Chapters
by Portia Nelson

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Chapter 1
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost… I am helpless.
It isn’t my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.

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Chapter 2
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don’t see it.
I fall in again.
I can’t believe I am in the same place.
But it isn’t my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.

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Chapter 3
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in… it’s a habit.
My eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.

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Chapter 4
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.

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Chapter 5
I walk down another street.