Cody (photo, left) was born in Minnesota. He worked for years as a social worker at a domestic violence shelter until the unthinkable happened. He was brutally assaulted by five men, resulting in a traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder. Cody spent six weeks recovering from the physical impact of the assault, and his struggle to get his life back on track led to self-medicating with alcohol.
Cody’s Interfaith Outreach case manager caringly called him out. He tells us, “She said, ‘Cody, you need to go get help. You need to go to rehab. We want to help you, but that needs to come first.’ She held me accountable for my actions. I had to get clean.”
Interfaith then became Cody’s lifeline. He used the food shelf, he accessed rent assistance in months his budget was tight to avoid homelessness, and he worked hard at recovery.
Cody worked with Natalie Bullinger, Employment Services Manager (photo, right), to explore career options and register for an innovative training program. “Natalie saw that my past jobs made me a fit for a human services position. I enrolled in a nine-month Project for Pride in Living (PPL) training program. I graduated in June of 2019. From day one, I committed to mastering this.”
Cody worked hard and completed the training. Today Cody is working full time for Hennepin County and part time for UPS. He’s on the path to his chosen career and hard-won recovery and stability. “I just celebrated my second year of sobriety. I’ve had no relapses. I don’t plan to.”
