Dear Charlie,
I am writing this letter to express my sincere gratitude for all that you do for us Veterans. The stigma of halfway houses was broken into pieces with the way you operate your program. I had heard so many horror stories that I was not looking forward to being at one at all. In fact I had debated doing in house parole until I had a chance to speak with you on the phone.
Your personality and kindness overflowed in that conversation so much so that the fears I had were done away with by the end of the call. The picture I developed in my mind of halfway houses was so far beneath how your house actually was that I was taken aback upon arrival. It was clean, orderly, quiet and peaceful. The atmosphere was exactly what I needed to regain my sense of freedom as I transitioned from incarceration to supervision.
I can only hope that more halfway houses were set up the way yours is. If they were, I feel more people would take advantage of the opportunity that they present. I never once felt trapped or controlled and I never felt like you were not there to help when I needed advice or direction. I hope that you continue for many years offering the help that you do for the veteran community. My advice for anyone who doubts a halfway house is to give House of Friends a try because they will not be disappointed. Thanks for everything!
Sincerely,
John
Sgt/ USMC – 2016
“….I only stayed here for a month but I go to admit for what I’ve heard about places like this in the past, this one really changes my opinions to positive one. This place is really great and deserves to be sponsored for advertisement. It’s very clean and the rules are very agreeable. Charlie is a great guy who should be commended for his efforts in helping his community. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone in similar situations to mine and already have. My situation mad me discouraged but House of Friends gave me hope…” -Adam – 2016
“…Charlie from the bottom my heart I would like to thank you not only for me but for everybody for everything you do. It’s truly a blessing knowing that there are still people out there that trust and believe and have faith and who do not pass judgement on people like me in my situation. You gave me a chance when damn near no one else would. I will be forever grateful for that. You run an excellent program over there and I was very proud to be part of that…. -Andrew -2015