Lincoln’s People’s City Mission is launching “Breakout,” a year-long drug relapse prevention program that is designed to make those who need help become self-sufficient. Those who take the course, which is comprised of four classes every quarter, will learn valuable skills pertaining to preventing relapse, paying rent, budgeting, and de-escalating conflict.
“We’re also working to try to make them self-reliant. The goal … is to get people who will come out of that program into a really good-paying job,” said Pastor Tom Barber, Executive Director of the People’s City Mission, in a conversation with KLIN News. The program itself is free, but those who take it will need to pay for a room to stay in at the Curtis Center, the Mission’s transitional housing unit. Those at the Mission, however, can make use of a work program that pays two to three times as much as the room rental costs per month.
Breakout will begin with 10 to 15 people in February. Ultimately, the People’s City Mission hopes to increase the program size to 30 or 40 people.
“We’re going to try as hard as we can to get them a place to stay, get them a good job, get car donations; make sure they have a vehicle, and make sure they’re ready so that when they leave here, they really have the things and the tools they need to really try to stay sober, stay out of drugs, and give them some hope.
A lot of times, if you give people another opportunity … they’ll take it.”