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Meet The Baltimore Station

The Baltimore Station is a non-profit residential program supporting military veterans to break the cycle of poverty, homelessness and drug addiction and move into self-sufficiency as productive members or society.

On Fridays, I teach the residents nutrition, meditation, and more.  Honestly, it’s one of my favorite parts of the week.

One of my favorite times of the year is the annual fundraiser party that The Station puts on: “Home Run for Recovery.”

This year is the 18th year of the party, and it will be held on
Thursday, April 22nd from 6 to 9:30 pm at The Cross Street Market in Federal Hill.

Get more details and buy your tickets here!

The Facts on Homelessness and Our Veterans

  • Veterans are 3 times more likely to be unemployed than non-veterans of the same age group
  • 33% of homeless men are veterans
  • 33% of homeless veterans (HVs) have been stationed in a war zone
  • 76% of HVs suffer from alcohol and drug addiction, mental illness including post traumatic stress disorder
  • 20% of all troops returning from the campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan will suffer from post traumatic stress disorder

    • 1 tour of duty in a war zone- 20% chance within 7 years
    2 tours of duty in a war zone- 50% chance within 7 years
    3 tours of duty in a war zone- 80% chance within 7 years

    The Impact on You

    Addiction and homelessness affect us all:

    1. These are our loved ones and friends.
    2. The financial drain on our families, communities and societies is substantial.
    3. For just $45 a day, the Station houses, feeds and provides services to each man- almost half the cost of incarceration.
    4. The crime and grime is bothersome, sometimes dangerous, and brings the energy of our communities down.
    5. Do we really want to neglect our veterans after their service to our country?

    Punishment and Pity

    Criminalizing addiction and punishing addicts is a tired, costly and ineffective strategy. It just doesn’t work. We get more of the same- addiction, crime and homelessness.

    Soft approaches that perpetuate self-pity and victimization do not work either, and you won’t find any of that at The Baltimore Station.

    (Note: Self-Punishment and Self-Pity won’t work in your life either- and especially not with nutrition and lifestyle!)

    An Approach that Works: Empowerment

    For empowerment that leads to high energy and vibrant health, continue to read my newsletters, and take me up on my offer for a free 30-minute breakthrough session.

    For empowerment that leads to recovery and self-sufficiency for our homeless veterans, visit The Baltimore Station.

    The men reside at The Station for up to 2 years, getting the comprehensive support necessary to fully recover. Go to The Station in the morning, and you’ll find the men meditating and receiving acupuncture. In the afternoon, you’ll find groups of the men intensely discussing the keys to successful recovery.

    You might want to sit in, as I frequently do, to listen to Associate Director and Clinical Supervisor Woody Curry, M.S. (a veteran and alumnus of the program himself).

    Below is a video of Woody Curry explaining why The Station has an average client retention rate of 240 days, while the national average for similar programs is only 74 days.

    Keys to Success:

    1. The 2-year program allows for the time necessary for complete physiological detox.

    2. The 2-year program allows for time to work through issues in real time with support.

    3. Change is not forced on the client.

    4. A tight-knit, supportive community of residents and counselors offers the relationships where true healing can happen.

    5. Clients are given the time and guidance to learn self-acceptance- to be comfortable being themselves with other people.

    6. Clients learn how to function in society because they want to, not because of some expectation to conform.

    7. Clients freely choose to be in the program. The rules are clear and strictly enforced, yet the clients may leave at anytime.

    8. Wellness is emphasized, not coping with disease nor fixing problems.

    A Powerful Wellness Tip from Addiction Recovery

    The keys to successful recovery can be applied to anyone desiring more power, freedom, and peace in their life. I’d love to share one particularly powerful tip.

    Nutrition is Critical to Recovery

    Clearly, nutrient dense whole foods are a critical part of anyone’s recovery, whether it is from years of alcoholism and drug addiction or from years of processed foods, sugar, caffeine and stress (The Standard American Diet).

    On Fridays, I lead a nutrition class to empower the men with understanding and skills for balancing mood and cultivating high energy with food.

    Tasting is Believing- How You Can Invest in Our Vets

    In my programs, I love spending one-on-one time with clients in my kitchen- demonstrating how each whole food group can be prepared in delicious and time-efficient ways.

    Knowing that tasting is believing, I am committed to cooking with the men at The Station too.

    The Station understands how critical nutrition is, but the budget is tight. Again they run the whole show on $45 per man per day.

    The Station has put up $50 per week for cooking classes, but I’d really like to have at least $200 per week, so that the men have an opportunity to eat the new foods for a few days after each weekly cooking class- to really be impacted by the nutritious foods.

    Support Nutrition and Cooking for Our Vets

    So, my request to you, my faithful reader, is to invest in this project. Just $25 will make a big difference in this program. If you are well heeled, please consider investing more.

    I am fully committed that the return for everyone involved will be great- for the men, for all the people these men will positively impact moving forward, and for our great city and country.

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