A decade of helping North Dakotans find recovery with the SUD Voucher program
For 10 years, the Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Voucher program has helped remove financial barriers and expand access to treatment and recovery services for North Dakotans.
Established in 2016, the SUD Voucher program was created to help individuals access evidence-based substance use disorder treatment and support services when they may not have the resources to pay for care. The program gives eligible individuals the ability to choose from participating providers and access services that support their unique recovery journey.
Through the SUD Voucher program, eligible individuals may receive support for services including screening, assessments, individual and group therapy, family therapy, room and board, peer support, transportation, urinalysis and methadone maintenance.
Over the past decade, thousands of North Dakotans have received support through the program. Many have gone on to rebuild relationships, find stability, return to work, reconnect with their communities and help others on their own recovery journeys.
Behind every voucher is a person, a family and a future. This Voices of Impact series celebrates 10 years of addiction treatment and recovery support as we share the stories of individuals whose lives have been changed through access to services. These stories highlight the importance of timely support, the power of recovery and the lasting impact of investing in people.
Recovery is possible. When people have access to care at the moment they are ready to seek help, lives can change.
Discover hope, transformation and possibility through the stories of Olivia, Kristopher, Timothy, Tyler, Brooke and True. Read, in their own words, what the SUD Voucher Program and the opportunity to find recovery means to them.
In their words
I want to express my sincere gratitude for the positive impact that the Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Voucher program has had on my life. Participating in recovery services has been one of the most significant and transformative experiences I have ever undergone.
The SUD Voucher program made it possible for me to access consistent treatment and support, which gave me the stability I needed to begin rebuilding my life.
Prior to entering treatment, my substance use disorder affected every aspect of my life, including my physical and mental health, relationships, decision-making and overall quality of life. Addiction impaired my ability to function in a healthy and productive manner, often causing me to lose sight of my personal values, goals and responsibilities.
Through consistent participation in treatment, I have developed healthier coping strategies, improved my emotional regulation and gained a greater understanding of the underlying factors contributing to my addiction.
The structure, education, accountability and support provided throughout the recovery process have equipped me with the tools necessary to maintain sobriety and make informed, positive decisions. For example, I am now able to keep a regular daily routine and manage responsibilities that I once struggled to handle. I have also been able to rebuild trust with my family by showing up consistently, communicating honestly and being present in ways I was not able to before.
Recovery has not only changed my life but has also had a meaningful impact on those around me. My relationships with family members, friends and my community have improved significantly as I have become more dependable, honest and emotionally present. I am now able to contribute positively to the lives of others rather than allowing my addiction to create hardship for those who care about me.
I recognize that recovery is a lifelong commitment, and I remain dedicated to maintaining a healthy, substance-free lifestyle. The skills and insight I have gained continue to guide me toward becoming the best version of myself.
I am deeply appreciative of the professionals and recovery community who have supported me throughout this journey. Their compassion, guidance and encouragement have played an essential role in helping me reclaim my life and build a healthier future.
I am proud of the progress I have made and remain committed to continued recovery, personal accountability and making positive contributions to my family and community.
I am sincerely grateful for the SUD Voucher program and the life-changing impact it has had on my life.
There was a time when I felt like I had lost everything. Addiction had taken over my life, and I couldn’t see a way out. The SUD Voucher Program gave me something I desperately needed, a life-changing opportunity. It allowed me to enter treatment when I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to. That opportunity changed the entire course of my life.
Today, I have been sober for two years, four months and 22 days, and I can honestly say that none of what I have today would have been possible without the SUD Voucher Program. Because I was able to receive treatment, I was able to rebuild my life one day at a time.
One of the greatest blessings has been getting my children back in my life after choosing a life of destruction. Being able to be the father they deserve is something I once thought was impossible. Recovery gave me that chance, and the SUD Voucher Program made that chance possible.
The impact didn’t stop there. Today, I work at the same treatment center that helped save my life. Every day, I have the privilege of helping others who are fighting the same battle I once faced. I am able to give back what was so freely given to me. I get to give hope to people who feel hopeless because someone once gave that same hope to me.
The SUD Voucher program didn’t just pay for treatment. It gave me my life back. It gave my children their father back. It gave me a career with purpose, restored my relationships and allowed me to become a productive member of my community.
It transformed not only my future but also the future of my family.
I have personally witnessed countless other individuals whose lives have also been changed because of this program. They have reunited with their families, found employment, become active members of their communities and gone on to help others in recovery. The SUD Voucher program creates opportunities that extend far beyond treatment. It creates lasting recovery, stronger families and healthier communities.
Recovery is possible, but for many people, it begins with having access to treatment. The SUD Voucher Program makes that possible. Thank you for investing in people like me. Because of this program, I have a life today that I never thought I would have.
The SUD Voucher program provided me with the opportunity to enter inpatient treatment without the added stress of financial uncertainty. It allowed me to fully focus on my recovery and the work I needed to do while in treatment.
After successfully completing inpatient care, the voucher continued to support my journey by helping me transition into sober living. This next step offered me the structure, stability and a safe environment necessary to maintain my progress while I continued engaging in additional levels of care.
The SUD Voucher program has benefited my life in so many meaningful ways. Today, I am actively continuing my recovery, and I have been given the opportunity to give back by supporting other young women who are beginning their own recovery journeys.
Being able to share my experience and offer encouragement has been incredibly rewarding.
This program has made a lasting impact on my life, and it is something I will forever be grateful for. It has not only supported my recovery but has also helped me build a foundation for a healthier, more purposeful future.
If it wasn't for the SUD Voucher program, I truly don't believe I would have the life I have today. The program gave me the opportunity to enter a 12-step recovery program where I learned not only how to stop using drugs and alcohol, but also why I was stuck in addiction in the first place and how to build a new way of living.
Today, I have 850 days in recovery. I am back in my children's lives and am becoming the active father they deserve. I volunteer in my community, have reintegrated into society and now work at the very program that helped save my life. Every day, I have the privilege of helping other men begin the same journey that was made possible for me through the SUD Voucher Program.
The impact of this program extends far beyond the individuals who receive the vouchers. When one person recovers, their children, families, friends, coworkers and communities all benefit. Recovery creates healthier families, stronger communities and hope for people who may have thought they had none.
It only takes one person and one opportunity to positively impact countless others.
Thank you for investing in recovery and for giving people like me a second chance. I am living proof that this program works.
The SUD Voucher program did not simply assist me in a limited way. It fundamentally changed the trajectory of my life. Without access to this program, I cannot say with certainty where I would be today, but it is unlikely that I would have reached the level of stability and purpose I currently experience.
Prior to entering treatment, I struggled for years with severe addiction, including the use of fentanyl, methamphetamine and heroin. My life during that time was marked by profound instability.
I experienced homelessness repeatedly and lacked the ability to maintain even the most basic form of housing. Additionally, I was involved in the criminal justice system and cycled in and out of incarceration multiple times.
This pattern created a continuous cycle in which addiction and legal consequences reinforced one another, making meaningful change extremely difficult to achieve.
Breaking this cycle is not a simple matter of personal choice or willpower.
Individuals coming from backgrounds such as mine are not starting from a neutral baseline. Rather, they are operating at a significant disadvantage. There is often a lack of financial resources, stable housing, reliable support systems and even foundational life skills necessary for day-to-day functioning.
Although I wanted help, I did not have the means to access it. Treatment was not readily available to me due to financial barriers, systemic limitations and personal circumstances. As a result, recovery felt unattainable despite my desire to change.
Access to the SUD Voucher program provided me with an opportunity that had never previously been available.
Through this program, I was able to enter treatment and begin the process of rebuilding my life from the ground up. This opportunity provided me with a foundation that I had never experienced before, one that allowed me to begin developing stability, accountability and direction. As a result of that opportunity, my life today is markedly different.
I am currently employed at a treatment center, where I work to support individuals facing the same challenges I once encountered. In addition, I am a full-time college student, actively pursuing my education and working toward long-term personal and professional goals. I am no longer on probation, and I have fulfilled all of my legal and financial obligations to the state.
While these accomplishments may appear routine, they represent significant milestones given my past circumstances. It is important to emphasize that this transformation did not occur quickly or easily.
Recovery is a complex and ongoing process that requires sustained effort, time and support. It took me more than a year to reach a point where I could begin living independently and supporting myself.
Individuals in early recovery must often relearn fundamental aspects of daily life, including maintaining employment, managing finances, fulfilling responsibilities and building healthy interpersonal relationships. This process involves a steep learning curve and cannot be successfully navigated without adequate support. For many individuals emerging from addiction, the absence of financial resources presents a critical barrier to recovery.
Basic needs such as housing, food and transportation are often unattainable without assistance. For example, individuals in early recovery are frequently unable to pay rent in sober living environments or cover essential living expenses due to a lack of income or savings. These structural barriers prevent many people from even beginning the recovery process, regardless of their willingness to change.
Programs such as the SUD Voucher program are therefore essential. They do not merely facilitate initial sobriety. They provide the necessary support and stability for individuals to build sustainable lives in recovery. Without this type of assistance, many individuals remain trapped in cycles of addiction, homelessness and incarceration, as I once was.
The impact of this program extends beyond individual outcomes. In my case, it enabled me to transition from a position of dependency to one of contribution. I am now an active participant in my community, working to assist others in their recovery and contributing positively to society. This transformation reflects the broader value of such programs: They reduce systemic burdens while fostering rehabilitation and long-term stability.
My experience serves as evidence that recovery is possible when individuals are provided with the appropriate resources, support and time. Meaningful change can occur, and individuals can become stable, productive members of society. However, this process must begin with access to care.
This program is a critical resource that provides individuals with dignity, hope and a tangible opportunity for change, offering others the same opportunity that allowed me to rebuild my life.
When I was incarcerated in county jail for the 27th time, I was able to get enrolled in treatment because of the SUD Voucher program, and I haven't gone back since.
The voucher bridged the gap until I could get health insurance. Without it, I would have had to wait until after my release to apply for insurance before I could enter treatment. For me, that delay could have been devastating because I was a hopeless drug addict caught in the insanity of my life.
If I had been released back into society and forced to wait for insurance, I would have missed the opportunity to get help and stayed sick. The window of willingness and open-mindedness can be very small, and the SUD Voucher program allowed me to enter treatment when I needed it most.
Getting into treatment was literally a matter of life and death. Before entering recovery, I had overdosed more than 15 times. Who knows what day could have been my last? I'm grateful I never had to find out.
The opportunity to enter treatment when I did saved my life. Because this program exists, I was given a chance to also rebuild my life.
Today, I have been sober for two years, four months and 15 days. I have my driver’s license back and my own apartment, where I have never missed a payment. My relationships with my family and friends have been restored. I have been employed for over a year at Providence House, the same treatment center that helped save my life, where I now have the opportunity to help others who are struggling with addiction, many who have also needed the SUD Voucher program. I am also currently enrolled in college and working toward my associate degree.
Most importantly, I am working on rebuilding my relationships with my daughters and becoming the father they deserve as well as a son, brother and friend to many.
My recovery has also positively impacted those around me. Society is safer because I am sober. Instead of being trapped in active addiction, I am a productive member of my community, maintaining stable housing, pursuing higher education and helping others in recovery. I no longer am out committing felonies on a daily basis and making the streets unsafe with my menacing ways. None of these things would have been possible without the SUD Voucher program bridging the gap during one of the most critical moments of my life.
This program does much more than provide funding for treatment. It gives people like me a real opportunity to recover, rebuild our lives and become productive members of our communities.
I am living proof that when treatment is available at the right time, recovery happens.
Thank you for changing my life. Words cannot describe the joy I have in my heart today.