L.B. Chandler was born in Alabama, but moved to Lompoc when he was a teen because his father worked for Chevron.
“I grew up in a family where substance abuse riddled the family tree,” Chandler said.
He started smoking pot and “loved it” from the start, Chandler said. When he turned 18, he moved to Ventura and “got involved in a lifestyle based around narcotics.”
Suddenly, he found himself stealing to buy drugs, and in-and-out of rehab. Nothing worked, as his life spiraled into a state of despair.
Then Chandler found the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission — and everything turned around.
“It was a mixture of establishing a relationship with God and surrounding yourself with like-minded people in the community,” Chandler said.
He is now the men’s program director at the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission, and was one of the many people on hand Thursday to celebrate the organization’s grand opening of its $12 million renovation.
Nearly 700 people donated to the campaign.
The group has just completed a 40,000-square-foot renovation of its facility at 535 E. Yanonali St. The religious-based organization has served more than 3 million meals and provided 1.6 million stays to clients since 1986.
The new facility has nearly doubled the number of beds for homeless women, created gender-specific bathroom and shower facilities for homeless guests, and made seismic upgrades to the center.
Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce Dudley was among the several elected officials, program donors, and Rescue Mission employees and board members on hand for the dedication ceremony.
In explaining the power of addiction, Dudley told the crowd of more than 150 people that she once asked an addict what it felt like to be on heroin, and she was told it was like coming home after school to be in the hands of your mother, with the smell of chocolate chip cookies in the oven — every second of every day.
She also said she once was told about a mother who ignored the screaming cries of her child so that she could try to score some methamphetamine. She later asked the mother how she could ignore her crying child, and ignore her maternal instinct to comfort, and the woman said, “It was more important to score the meth, than it was to feed my child.
“When I tell you that successful addiction programs make our community safer on every level, I am thinking about that mother,” Dudley said.
Dudley, who has four sons, said when her children were young and acting restless or anxious in public, she would whisper in their ear the words “home now,” which instantly comforted them because they knew they would be home soon.
“The people who live on the streets get to hear those words because of the generosity of all of you,” Dudley said.
Rolf Geyling, Santa Barbara Rescue Mission president, said he couldn’t believe that they were standing in the new facility. The effort began more than five years ago, and was not envisioned as a $12 million overhaul.
“I am grateful that this building represents something permanent,” Geyling said. “There will be a place for people struggling with addiction and recovery for years to come.”
About 800 people have graduated from the recovery program, including Chandler.
He entered the program at 25 and was clean a year later. Now he has three children, and is happy with his life.
“Like so many of the men who have come before and after me, the residential treatment facility is a safe haven,” Chandler said. “It’s a place where those in our community who suffer from alcoholism and drug addiction can begin sorting out their past, one that is often marred by shame, guilt and the destructive wake of the decisions they have made. This is a special place.”
Second District Santa Barbara County Supervisor Gregg Hart, also a former Santa Barbara city councilman, said the Rescue Mission helps the community’s most vulnerable people.
“We are in this together,” Hart said. “The folks who are struggling the most need our help. That’s the most important job we have as elected officials. “
— Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina can be reached at jmolina@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
