Kelvin Garcia, CRM (he/him)

Kelvin moved to Portland, Oregon from McMinnville, Oregon. He believes that the essence of recovery is just becoming a better version of yourself than you were the day before. Looking back at old habits, taking responsibly for mistakes, and making the greatest possible progress forward are all important parts of the recovery journey.

Kelvin’s own journey is focused on self-awareness, responsibility, and challenging himself each and every day to grow. Regular physical activities, mindfulness techniques, building community, and engaging in healthy routines are all a part of his recovery program.  

Kelvin loves when new people move into his house and utilizes it as a reminder of when he first started in the program. He loves to see the progress that each person makes, from day one, to the day they successfully transition out of housing. He loves to see people change their lives for the better and be a vital part of that process.

Kelvin is bilingual (Spanish and English speaking) and his hobbies are learning to do new activities, anything from working on cars to cutting hair. He loves any DYI projects that encourage him to learn new things.

Jess Bunyard, CRM (he/him)

Jess grew up on the outskirts of Portland, Oregon in a small town called Estacada, where he was surrounded by the mountains and the river.

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He has dedicated his life to recovery and attends support groups, works with his sponsor, and has built a strong support system.

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Jess believes that everyone is capable of recovery, but at some point, you have to want it for yourself. He says that everyone needs a good support system in place to achieve those results and they need to be open-minded to find out what works best.

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He enjoys being a house manager because he likes getting to know new housemates, helping them better themselves, and supporting them through their challenges.

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Jess is an avid outdoorsman and enjoys hunting, fishing, camping, and being in the woods. He also loves spending time with his son and watching him play sports. One fun fact about Jess is that he once hit the bullseye with his bow and arrow and then, in the next shot, split the first arrow in two!

Bryn Whipple, PWS CRM (he/him)

Bryn was born in Boston Massachusetts and raised in Vermont. He spent his twenties living in the San Francisco Bay Area, and then moved to Portland in 2020 to be closer to his best friend and be in the mountains and close to the ocean.

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Bryn tried to get sober when he was younger and had some successful longer terms periods of sobriety with intermittent relapses. Bryn never gave up on trying to stay sober and finally, after a very difficult relapse, Bryn realized he needed treatment to be healthy and fully embrace recovery. He states that this is the best decision he ever made. It gave him a chance to heal, grow, and change.

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Bryn attends AA meetings regularly, has a sponsor, a homegroup, and works the steps. He has great sober friendships today that he loves and cherishes. He also utilizes meditation and mindfulness in his recovery and daily life. He believes that recovery is a gift and is available to anyone who seeks it.

Being of service to the recovery community is a value that Bryn holds as a steadfast principle in his life, and shares that it creates an opportunity to get outside of himself and help someone else. He likes being a part of creating a safe, supportive atmosphere for people to recover in. He enjoys getting to know people and sharing his experience and strength with them and loves seeing people grow and change in their recovery.  

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Bryn loves being outside in nature, swimming, and spending time at the ocean.

Malisa Muskrat (she/her)

Bio coming soon!

Becky Weston (she/her)

Becky was born and raised in Eugene, Oregon and has been in Portland for a year and a half. Prior to being an assistant house manager, she used to spend her time fighting forest fires.

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Becky feels that working in the addiction helping field is a big deal because she struggled for years and didn’t think she could ever be successful or be noticed for her accomplishments. Today, she has a strong and diverse recovery program that includes involvement in a sober running group called Go the Distance, as well as attending Wellbriety meetings, NA meetings, and Celebrate Recovery.

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Becky believes that everyone has their own personal journey and their own steps they have to take to break free and experience freedom from their past and active addictions. She loves being there for the women in the house, having meaningful conversations with them, and helping them to realize that they always have someone they can confide in and count on. 

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In her free time, Becky loves running, hiking, and being outside in nature.

Izzy Braman (she/her)

Izzy was born in Washington but was raised her whole life in Portland, Oregon.  Izzy began using drugs and alcohol at early age (in her teen years), and at eighteen years old she developed an addiction to methamphetamine. In addition to struggling with drug use, Izzy was also involved in an abusive relationship. When her life became scary and unmanageable, she knew she needed help. She reached out to her family for support and enrolled herself in treatment.

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It is important to Izzy that she maintains healthy habits in recovery as well as healthy relationships. She spends her time in recovery working the twelve steps with her sponsor, preparing nutritious foods, going to the gym, and playing roller derby. Developing a close relationship with her family is the part of her recovery that Izzy values the most.

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Izzy enjoys being a house manager and shared that recovery is for everyone! She loves seeing the women in her house grow and thrive, finding their own direction in life. She said that it’s inspiring to be around women who are overcoming some of the biggest obstacles that life has to offer. “The grass truly is greener on the other side when it comes to getting clean and sober.”

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In her free time, Izzy loves to play guitar, paint and draw, engage in roller derby, and loves being outside.

Sonni Cameron (she/her)

Sonni is originally from Hanford, CA and moved to Portland, Oregon when her friend Marco left their hometown and came to Portland to get clean. Sonni could see the change in him and knew that she wanted that change for her own life as well.

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Getting sober was not an easy journey for Sonni, as she had outstanding warrants back in California, which were the legal consequences of her addiction. Sonni knew she couldn't move forward until she faced her past. So, she went back home, turned herself in to the courts, and then came back to Portland with a clean slate.

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Sonni is serious about maintaining her recovery and attends NA meetings, Celebrate Recovery meetings, and church. She works with a sponsor, her mentors, and has two service positions as well.

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She believes that recovery is about trusting the process. She says that if you want something different for your life, you have to try something different. She loves to help the newcomer and feels honored that she gets to support women and impact their lives in a positive way. “We can only keep what we have by giving it away.”

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In her free time Sonni loves to read, listen to music, hang out with friends, and go on adventures out in nature to explore. She especially loves waterfalls!

Timothy McGee, CRM (he/him)

Timothy was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. After struggling with addiction for many years, he finally sought treatment and started his new life in recovery.

Timothy attends Celebrate Recovery, where he attends a step study group. He says that he is currently working on new beginnings and healing the wounds of the past, giving back to others, and continuing to stay engaged in outside support meetings and in his community.

Timothy believes that everyone can recover from addiction and alcoholism, and everyone deserves a second chance and a new beginning in life. He loves being a house manager because he feels passionate about helping others and watching them grow. He feels honored that he gets to play such a vital role in each client’s journey and enjoys being of service.

Timothy’s hobbies include bowling, sports, going on adventures with friends and family, and helping other.

Shilain Patel, CRM (he/him)

Shilain was born in Longview, Washington and was raised in the Pacific northwest as well as in London, England. He came to Portland to be closer to friends and family and to immerse himself in the amazing music and art scene that Portland had to offer.

His substance use started when he was 12 years old and for many years he struggled to maintain sobriety, going in and out of programs and sober housing. Today, Shilain has a solid recovery program where he is actively engaged in working with his sponsors, going to outside support group meetings, engaging in recovery yoga and running, and surrounding himself with positive people.

Shilain believes that everyone deserves a chance to get sober. He knows that recovery is hard work, but he believes that if you put in the effort, you can stay clean. He sees that Portland is a city filled with people who are hurting and struggling, and he wants everyone to be able to learn about recovery and get a chance to grow, heal, and learn to love themselves.

Shilain enjoys working in the recovery field. In addition to being a house manager, he also works at a local facility that helps individuals who are struggling with homelessness. He loves the hands-on experience of motivating and supporting people in early recovery.

Shilain is a DJ in the EDM scene in Portland. He loves playing music at different kinds of events, hiking, dancing, traveling, learning new languages, snowboarding, and taking long walks on short beaches.  

Tyler Bussey (he/him)

Tyler moved to Portland, Oregon from Brooklyn, New York.  He loves to begin each day with prayer, scripture reading, and meditation. He is an active member of Emmanuel Church.

His program of recovery is Christ-based and he attends weekly Celebrate Recovery meetings where he holds a leadership position as Share Group Facilitator. He is also currently engaged in a step study program offered by celebrate recovery. 

Tyler believes that his role as a sober living house manager gives him the opportunity to support others in the transition from active addiction, homelessness, isolation, and fear, to housing, peace, community, and stability. He is passionate about utilizing his skill set to promote healing for his community through support, love, hope, patience, and compassion. 

Tyler is also a performing dance artist and loves to go roller-skating on the weekends.

Gabriel Galvan, CRM (he/him)

Gabriel moved from Mexico City, Mexico to California when he was 18 years old, and at 25 years of age he relocated to Portland with his ex-wife. He’s been living here in Portland ever since.

Gabriel believes that recovery is the most important decision he’s ever made in his life. He maintains that it’s about starting a new chapter and making the changes necessary for peace and happiness. To Gabriel, recovery is a shift in both perspective and lifestyle.

Gabriel loves to be an assistant manager because he enjoys being a positive role model to clients in housing and to people new in recovery. He appreciates the responsibility that comes with the position and feels honored to be of service.

In his free time Gabriel loves spending time with his kids, helping people, and working on cars.

Walt LaBonte (he/him)

Walt moved to Portland, Oregon from central Washington to go to treatment to address his lifelong addictions to drugs and alcohol.

Walt believes that it takes great strength to climb your way out of addiction, but with time, it gets easier and is just one little step in life’s long journey. He has a strong recovery program that he works through Celebrate Recovery, where he has a sponsor that he is in daily communication with, he has formed a strong sober community, attends a step study group, and has maintained positive relationships with people from the treatment centers that he graduated from.

Walt loves being an assistant manager because he believes that the newest people in recovery are the most important. He gets the opportunity to help clients fight against their addiction and show them that they don’t have to do it alone. Walt says that being of service and helping others continues to make his own recovery stronger.

Walt enjoys long walks and adventures, from hiking new trails in the woods, to exploring the city. He is a true outdoorsman and enjoys fishing, camping, bushcraft, knife throwing, and archery.

Mel Medina (he/him)

Mel is originally from Redmond Oregon and moved to Portland when he first tried to get sober.

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Mel shared that is grateful for Isaac, the Director of Housing, for helping him to get clean. He shared that Isaac knew him in the past and saw him at a recovery support meeting that Mel was attending. At that time in his life, Mel was struggling with homelessness and relapse and wanted to find a new way to live his life. Isaac helped to get him into a program and get his life back on track.

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Mel starts every day making a gratitude list and texting it to his sponsor. He is committed to attending outside support groups and loves his Celebrate Recovery meetings and his Thursday men’s group. He knows that recovery is hard work but believes that with positive friendships and fellowship it can get easier and fun. He enjoys meeting new people and forming new friendships in his recovery circle.

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Mel enjoys being a positive role model for the men in his house and takes that role seriously, knowing that he sets the example for what a recovery program looks like.

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Mel loves listening to music, cooking his favorite foods, fishing, and gardening.