Nonprofit gives support to those coming out of the justice system

LOVELAND» Who better is the expert on a subject than the one who lived it? This is the motto Lisa Carlson used to create her nonprofit and to help people deal with the hardships and struggles she had to face.

Last summer, Carlson founded Tribal Experience Korner, a Loveland nonprofit that offers recovery support for people coming out of the justice system who might be dealing with addiction problems.

This support is provided by people who have gone through many of the same hardships and faced many of the same difficulties.

“We tore our community (apart), we caused so much damage and we know what it is going to take to fix it,” said Carlson, who serves as the organization’s executive director.

Carlson said the name came from the idea of having a tribal experience among group members — a second family that is going through the same issues as everyone else. She said they spelled Korner with a K because it is a different group of people who went through the system, came out and want to help.

The nonprofit, which is in its first year, currently runs on donations, grants and fundraising efforts. The organization has gained a space in the House of Neighborly Service’s Life Center in Loveland and gathered a group of certified recovery coaches as well as people to experience the program and heal together.

All coaches in the program have also had experience with the justice system.

The group offers a variety of services for people struggling with addiction or just exiting the justice system, offering mentorships between coaches and members, substance-abuse support groups, advocacy to help with housing or jobs, connections to resources, weekly visits to 137 Homeless Connection and, above all, group support.

“We all deserve a second chance,” Carlson said. “Not one person has not made a mistake; we just made some bigger ones.”

Coaches and members work together through the recovery process to find the optimal path to success through these resources, from connection to housing or job opportunities or meeting weekly to discuss particular struggles and stressors.

“With all the resources (we) offer, it makes that person able to succeed and be a member of society again and give people hope that they can do it,” said Angel Valdivia, a Tribal Experience Korner recovery coach. “We are examples that it can be done.”

Carlson said while they wait for revenues to increase, she and the coaches are volunteering their time.

Sabrina Rosario, another certified recovery coach, said it is important for people navigating recovery to help others, because what needs to be done is not onesize-fits-all.

“Everyone has a different path for recovery, and we see what we can help them do on their own journey,” Rosario said.

Joel Martinez, who has served as a recovery coach since August, said the program is different from the correctional system, which he said focuses more on consequences. “It is taking more of an individualized approach, trying to ascertain what people’s needs are,” Martinez said. “It is really different, and people are taking notice.”

“We check in, we care about each other, we want each other to do well and we talk about it when things aren’t going well,” said Stephanie Leija, a member of the program who is planning to become a recovery coach.

Leija said the resources and support offered by the group help to break down barriers that exist for many of the people leaving the justice system, including finding a stable job and a place to live.

“When you make bad decisions, of course you have to deal with the consequences, but at the same time it is really hard to change when people are like ‘you are a felon, and we don’t want to deal with felons,’ ” Leija said.

Despite the troubles brought on by addiction recovery, navigating the justice system and adjusting to life after serving prison time, members and coaches alike said that being part of the group is a powerful step toward healing — not just themselves, but the community at large.

“It is encouragement, it is change, it is something that is positive,” Leija said. “This is where I want to be; this is my heart. I want to help people get through life, because life is hard.”