Today we’d like to introduce you to Katherine Russell.
Hi Katherine, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Katherine Russell, and I am the founder and executive Director of Foundations To Freedom, Inc. Foundations To Freedom is a newly formed, not for profit Florida corporation established in the City of Deland. It was formed for the purpose of providing safe and structured sober living homes to those seeking recovery from addiction, chronic homelessness and other situations that constitute a need for sober living.
I am a survivor of addiction and in long term recovery. It has been a long-time dream of mine to open sober living homes in order to extend a helping hand to those who are suffering as I once was.
At the age of 27, I was in a terrible car accident on I-4 where I flipped a vehicle 9 times and was ejected. I was air-flown to Orlando regional medical center where I remained in a coma for 64 days, after which, I was in the hospital for 4 months. I had several injuries that required many surgeries including 3 brain surgeries, spinal fusion, and reconstructive foot surgery. I had broken almost every bone on my right side. When I was released from the hospital, I was given strong narcotics to manage my pain and over the next few years developed an addiction to opiate pain medication. Previous to the accident, I was a very successful businesswoman. I had a great job working as a Branch Manager for Hertz Rental Car, a home and two beautiful young children. I was a person whose life was focused on her family and career. Neither drinking nor drugs were an issue for me. I never imagined how much one event could forever change my life!
It took me many years to come out on the other side of my addiction and for my life to be put back together. I lost Everything. My home, my career, my children. I was in and out of jail and even went to prison. I tried several times to get clean and sober, but it took me 7 years to finally start down a road of recovery and start rebuilding my life. It wasn’t until my previous husband died of a drug overdose that I finally got clean. The pain finally got great enough. I was suffering so deeply that no substance worked to take the pain the away so all that was left was to get clean. The pain of my addiction finally became greater than the pain of change.
I started Foundations to Freedom in May 2021. We now have 6 sober living homes opening before the end of 2022 and all are located in Deland. Our program is written as a 3-phase program with a 6-9 month stay for each client. Our homes consist of a separate home for men, women, women with children and Veterans. Between all our programs, we have a total of 46 beds and each home is structured to meet the needs of the individual house and our program.
While writing Foundations’ program, I took from my personal experience to create what we have today. Things that I experienced while I was struggling in early recovery and living in halfway houses and tried to improve on other halfway houses, I stayed in. We offer wrap-around care to each client through our community partners. Once a client is admitted to one of our houses, they meet with a case manager to write their individual case plan. We offer services from HIV and HEP C testing and treatment, substance abuse and mental health counseling, Detox services, the ability to get a client their High School diploma through an accredited Florida School, job placement and training, gym membership with gyms owned by people in recovery, rental assistance for weekly rent, and doctor/dentist visits. We have also partnered with several businesses in the downtown DeLand to assist our clients with job placement. Once a client graduates, we can offer rental assistance, utility assistance, food assistance, and continued care for our alumni. We offer meals to all clients. We have breakfast and a hot dinner every day.
Most of my staff here at Foundations are in long-term recovery as well, which allows them to better relate to the clients and where they are in their recovery. All clients must attend 5 recovery meetings per week and work the steps of the recovery program they choose, (Narcotic Anonymous or Alcoholics Anonymous,) with a sponsor.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The most challenging thing I’ve encountered is dealing with the City of Deland. The city has not been very welcoming to sober living homes opening in their community. They are currently working to shut down one location that I have open due to neighbors complaining about having a sober home in their neighborhood. I have been given many hoops to jump through from the city that has delayed my opening for several other homes. The stigma that surrounds people in addiction and recovery is hard to overcome. Addiction is the true epidemic in our country. Every family in America has someone either in their immediate or extended family that suffers from addiction issues, yet it is so hard to get someone the help and support they need once they are ready to start a new way of life. In addition, it has also taken us a long time to get our 501c3 status finalized, along with other applications necessary to run a successful Non-profit. The IRS and other government agencies have been backed up since COVID and paperwork processing has become a nightmare. In retrospect, I would say it has had its challenges, but there are so many rewards that I cannot complain about the difficulties.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As the Founder and Executive Director, it takes a lot to establish a not-for-profit corporation. From the ground up, I have organized this business. From the business plan and model to the filings, and the establishing of an incredible Board of Directors. I have amazing people on my Board that directly serve our mission. Attorney, Danielle Edwards, Laura Southgate, a guardian ad litem, Sandra Williams, Sharon Brown, who is our House Director, Samantha Putnam, our Veteran’s affairs representative, James Russell, Private Business owner and myself Katherine Russell.
Currently, I work to run the business in all areas. I have done a lot of B2B relations to get the word out in our community about Foundations to Freedom and our mission. We have met with the Deland Chief of Police and completed in person presentations for the DeLand police officers. I have met with Volusia County Sheriff Chitwood and his office. We continue to meet with them to educate their deputies on our services. We work closely with the Volusia Recovery Alliance to help serve the community and those in need of our services. Through much hard work, we have become an official nonprofit and are approved to fundraise by the state of Florida. My next big venture is to become FARR certified, although it is a timely process, Foundations To Freedom will strive to meet the NARR standards and obtain this certification.
What do you think about luck?
I was lucky enough to have survived the disease of addiction, many are not so lucky. If I could’ve written what I wanted my life to look like, I would’ve been robbing myself of the blessing I have today. I have a life beyond my wildest dreams and have the opportunity in my daily work to help others suffering as I once did from the disease of addiction that kills so many. If I am lucky enough to save just one life through the work we do here at Foundations to Freedom, then we have succeeded. I have been given the blessing of being able to give back to others what was so freely given to me. There are a few people along my journey who never gave up on me no matter what and now I am given the opportunity to share that with people who suffer and don’t know where to turn to for help and support. To me that is luck and even more than luck it is a blessing.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@foundationtofreedom.org
- Website: foundationtofreedom.org
