Dear Editor:
As a community counselor, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank the Hoboken Housing Authority’s board of commissioners and Executive Director Carmelo Garcia. For many years we’ve had a safe haven for recovering users in the 411 Marshall Drive community room. This has been a sanctuary for those persons who have suffered with the disease of drugs and now have found God, a family and friendships that teaches them how not to be victims to addictions. I’m proud to call that space home. There are many positive changes going on in the HHA and we’re excited to be a stakeholder. Many months ago we had to put our counseling service on hold because housing was renovating their community rooms for the residents. We were always, grateful and dedicated to the teachings at our humble gathering.
We wanted to express our sincere appreciation to Mr. Garcia and his board for believing in our cause and understanding that our program has changed and saved many lives for former addicts who’ve needed a place to know they were not in a closet by themselves. They have supported our purpose and now once again they have given us permission to host these empowering meetings in the newly upgraded community room so we wanted to invite any resident who is battling an addiction disease to join us on Tuesday nights starting Aug. 24th at 7pm to guide you along your recovery and help you or your family on how to cope with the disease as many of us have done and now we live a healthier, productive, loving and spiritual lifestyle free from those vices. I’ve been clean for almost 12 years and have been given back to others, that’s my way of saying thank you to God, my family and Hoboken for the second chance I received.
Lee Lyons