On Friday, more than a dozen people graduated from the Bexar County Family Drug Court. And for all of them, it means so much more than a certificate.
Mike is one of the graduates and was happy to finally be reunited with his kids after they were taken by Child Protective Services.
“The day they took my family, I was devastated. I was lost, I was confused, embarrassed,” he said.
The person who turned Mike in for his drug use was his 12-year-old daughter.
“For her doing the initiative and what she did by making that phone call, that saved my life,” Mike said.
On Friday, 13 others started a new life as well and were reunited with their children. The family drug court essentially serves as a “middle man” between CPS and the law to keep people clean and reunite families.
It's a resource some communities don’t have and one that Bexar County is lucky to have. Especially since the program is grant and privately funded.
“Anything grant-funded and you live paycheck to paycheck, there’s always that fear (of shutting down),” said program director Barbara Schafer.
“If I had not been a part of drug court would I be standing here today telling you I was clean? Probably not,” Mike said.
Since the first graduation in 2004, the program claims to have helped 183 people.
