News & Updates Grantee Spotlight

Grantee Spotlight: Helping Fathers on the Path to Recovery

June 12, 2024

Father’s Day is a special day for many families, but it’s especially poignant for dads who have been given a second chance to build a strong bond with their children.

Among them are men whose drug addiction has separated them from their kids. After Thomas Gooch entered recovery, he wanted to help other men in his community find the stability they need to repair relationships with their families.

His residential facility, My Father’s House in Nashville, TN, offers temporary housing, job training, connections to treatment, and other supports to men on all paths to recovery that are getting back on their feet. For many, the program offers a sense of safety and community.

“We try to create whatever it takes for you to get on course,” Gooch says.

With funding from FORE, Gooch created a respite program for men with opioid use disorder who are in danger of experiencing an overdose because of the obstacles they face accessing residential treatment programs. For the uninsured, the wait for an open bed in a local safety-net facility can extend over weeks if not months. “You can’t just walk in and say I want to get help,” Gooch says.

His respite program offers men safe housing, meals, and personal care items as they await treatment. Peer recovery supports are available on site 24 hours a day.

To learn more about the program and his efforts to support fathers, watch this video.