Helping Those on the Road to Recovery

Although National Recovery Month is observed every September, people like Sharon Garrett are making sure it is being recognized year-round.

Garrett is the executive director of Safe Haven Ministries, Inc., an organization that serves as a one-stop shop for anyone who is dealing with addiction, homelessness, and general deprivation of life's assets. With firsthand experience of helping those in need of recovery, Garrett knows that we must use the resources that we have to help move these people to a better place.

At the recent alliance meeting for 100 Families Initiative of Johnson, Franklin, and Logan counties, Garrett spoke with locals during a discussion titled "More Than Recovery: Building Lives, Restoring Families." County coordinator Kerry Bewley led the discussion.

Garrett opened the discussion stating her passion for recovery, clarifying that addiction is part of a deeper problem that can usually be holistic. She also said that nearly everyone knows someone who has been plagued by addiction.

"There's not an individual in here that is not impacted and affected by someone they love and care about in addiction."

Garrett helped launch Safe Haven Ministries, Inc. with nothing but an idea and a heart in the right place. With the motto "do what you can, not what you can't," she was guided to help make a difference in her community.

"We had no money. We had no clue. We had nothing. We just had an idea and a heart that was willing to do something," Garrett said. "We just stepped out, and we did what we could."

Using a multi-faceted approach, Safe Haven Ministries, Inc. helps provide a clear pathway to recovery. From entry-level homes and graduate programs to crisis intervention and transport, they Garrett and her team ensure you take on recovery with the utmost support.

Garrett says the main challenges and needs she sees with people coming through Safe Haven is the need to see yourself differently than you do.

"Most of the people that come in, there is nothing they can't accomplish if they believe that they can," Garrett said. "Regardless of the number of minutes we have with that person, we want to take that opportunity to instill hope in them."

Garrett and her team at Safe Haven Ministries are there the whole way through the recovery process, understanding that life's challenges are not solved overnight.

"You're not going to change a 20-year problem in three months," Garrett said. "That's why we extended it to one year, so you begin to teach them how to think differently about themselves, about others, about respect, about worth, about just actual skills."

Over the course of this process, people will be able to find their purpose in recovery beyond simply "being clean." Safe Haven helps individuals find meaningful goals and a renewed sense of direction in life after recovery.

One of the newest endeavors being introduced to Safe Haven Ministries, Inc. is the upcoming Women's Leadership Academy, which Garrett says is the first of its kind in Arkansas. By doing this, women who have completed a one-year reputable program within the state can apply to this academy.

Garrett has many goals in mind for Safe Haven, but her main goal is to keep her community addiction-free.

"In the future, my big dream would be we don't have an addiction problem in this town anymore," Garrett said. "We'll have solved it for ourselves, and now we're helping other communities solve it."

Safe Haven Ministries, Inc. is committed to helping individuals break free from victimhood and embrace a victorious mindset, exploring essential life skills, practical advice, and a new way of thinking for lasting change and respect in the real world.

National Recovery Month may have ended, but the importance of supporting recovery keeps going all year long.