“My past doesn’t dictate the man I am today.”

This is the first thing Kelly Long said as he began to tell his story. Not wanting to focus too much on his past, this now gentle, compassionate man shared the blessings and victories he has experienced since he began his clean and sober journey at the Mission.

Spending more than seventeen years in and out of prison for robbery, receiving stolen property and grand theft auto, the minute he would get out of jail – with no place to go – Kelly would immediately go back to drugs. As a life-long addict, he was well versed on local rehab centers where he knew he could easily avoid arrest warrants by self-admitting into a program. Once the ‘heat’ was off, he would go back to the streets. Dealing with behavioral health issues, PTSD, and chronic drug use, his life was chaos.