COLUMBUS, Ohio — It’s 6:30 a.m. on Columbus’ East Side and Chastity is fueling her fleet of cars.
It’s her first task of the day as a team leader for Columbus’ “CleanTurn,” a cleaning company that hires addicts in recovery, and those newly out of prison.
It was founded nine years ago by John Rush, a man who has seen addiction first hand.
His mother struggled with substance abuse during his childhood, making his father his primary caretaker, and his moral compass.
Rush took the lessons from his father and his faith and began CleanTurn.
“We always emphasize that we’re a professional cleaning company first and that we’re a fair chance employer for folks,” Rush said.
They hire people directly out of prison and shore up the foundation for them to thrive.
“We have a separate real estate company that's been able to pick up some real estate so, within the first week of release, these people are employed, and have supportive housing,” Rush said.
He said their mission is a complicated one.
While those in the statehouse try to solve these societal problems from the top-down, success or failure lies within the individual.
“Some legislation focuses on: how do we get people jobs? But our focus is how do we get people jobs, how do we get people on a promising career, how do we get people to flourish? And that’s a lot more complicated to legislate,” he said.
Back at the warehouse, Chasity is gearing up for her workday.
She and the others gather their gear, pack their cars, and set off to their destinations.
CleanTurn has dozens of clients, mostly corporate.
Chastity and Monique are a team of two on this particular day, quietly tackling the job before anyone at the office arrives.
“I love Chastity, that's my girl,” gushes Monique.
Chasity said she enjoys the work, which is a big change of pace from her old life.
“I didn’t have an addiction. I was in the streets," she said, "I sold drugs . . . All I was worried about was selling drugs and making money.”
That life caught up with her and landed her a year stint at Marysville prison.
“I didn’t change my ways the second time, ended up getting a second number. It was for permitting drug abuse and that was for allowing my kids to stash, to sell out of the house, and he ended up getting my daughter addicted,” she said.
Her story is not uncommon in Ohio, a state hard-hit by the nation’s opioid crisis.
Lack of economic resources and quick cash led many like Chastity and her family to take desperate measures.
When asked how she started selling drugs, she said: "A boyfriend. An ex-boyfriend. He was selling, and I saw what type of money was coming in, and started doing it.”
After finding CleanTurn, she was able to pull herself out of the cycle and help her daughter beat addiction as well.
“People do change and they can live a different life,” she said.
Now, she’s wiping her slate clean, one room at a time.