Clairton sober living home offers 鈥榝resh start鈥� for veterans
The unshakable brotherhood Russell 鈥淩uss鈥� Granger found among a ragtag group of men within a converted Catholic rectory was unlike anything he had experienced since he retired from the Air Force a decade prior.
The Cornerstone Residence Recovery Home for Veterans 鈥� a nonprofit sober living space for former service members located in a converted Clairton church 鈥� has offered more than a dozen men, including Granger, a 鈥渇resh start鈥� since it officially opened in 2023 following a lengthy legal battle.
Granger had spent the better part of the past three decades battling his alcohol addiction through his service in the Air Force, periods of sustained sobriety and eventual relapse before the 鈥渨heels really started falling off鈥� around 2016.
After regaining his sobriety through a handful of inpatient treatment centers over the following years, Granger knew that he had a duty to help others who had been his position, leading him to the position of inaugural house manager at Cornerstone.
鈥淚 knew it was something I had to do,鈥� he said.
In this role, Granger helped residents get to work, led group events and provided mentorship for others at an earlier stage in their sobriety journey.
The first group of men to stay in the residence quickly developed a real camaraderie.
鈥淲e all spoke the same language, PTSD 鈥� there was a real brotherhood across the different branches,鈥� he said.
Former service members often feel uncomfortable sharing their struggles with addiction in non-veteran exclusive groups, Granger said, so Cornerstone provides a much-needed 鈥渟afe, supportive space.鈥�
Granger said that the regular AA meetings hosted in the residence; frequent group activities and calm environment helped him find a peace and stability in his sobriety he had lacked.
Now, nearly three years later Granger has a full-time job assisting people with disabilities find employment, a two-year marriage with his wife, Robin, and a newfound clarity of purpose in helping others.
He credits this first to his faith, and in large part to his time at Cornerstone.
鈥淚t was a wonderful experience for me.鈥�
A shared vision
According to Cornerstone founder Joyce Sed, her two-and-a-half-decade-long career as a probation officer showed her firsthand how difficult successfully reentering society can be for formerly incarcerated individuals.
鈥淚鈥檝e seen so many people fail coming out of prison; the recidivism rate is crazy,鈥� she said.
Many people lack a robust support system and/or living situation immediately after completing their sentence, Sed said, which can quickly return them to the unhealthy environment that resulted in their initial incarceration.
Legal restrictions for people with certain felony convictions can result in a multi-year suspension of their driver蘑菇视频 license, which makes maintaining gainful employment difficult, she said.
鈥淚t蘑菇视频 harder for them to get a job once they鈥檙e home, which can be such a burden for their families. It蘑菇视频 collateral damage.鈥�
Sed envisioned a safe, supportive space where formerly incarcerated people could access resources and start to rebuild their lives from a stable foundation.
This idea evolved into the current concept of Cornerstone after meeting her future husband, Jim Sed, through Zero Six Eight, a Pittsburgh-based business incubator that focused on promoting the ventures of formerly incarcerated people.
Joyce and Jim developed the idea for Cornerstone together, eventually buying a vacant former church and attached rectory in 2018.
A structure fire in 2019 and a five-year legal dispute over whether the property was eligible for an occupancy permit delayed the opening until 2023, when the first cohort of veterans was welcomed into the residence.
鈥楢 unique match鈥�
Jim Sed is a man of unwavering faith, citing two moments of 鈥渄ivine timing鈥� that permanently reshaped his life: realizing his faith and meeting his wife, Joyce.
On his third day in Allegheny County Jail in 2006 after an arrest for drug offenses, Sed was experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms from the opiate addiction that had derailed his life since his honorable discharge from the Navy in the 1980s.
鈥淢y cellmate at the time, he came in and saw me on the floor and said, 鈥榊ou鈥檙e in a bad way, man,鈥� and started reading verses from his Bible to me,鈥� said Sed.
This timely intervention represented a turning point in his life, as Sed蘑菇视频 faith quickly became his North Star.
鈥淚t plays a role in every aspect of my life,鈥� he said.
Sed completed his sentence in 2016, and began working at Zero Six Eight, where he says God intervened once again.
鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 supposed to go in that day, but for some reason I did 鈥� if I didn鈥檛 I wouldn鈥檛 have met my wife,鈥� he said.
Jim and Joyce quickly became friends, growing closer through the early stages of acquiring the property in Clairton and setting up Cornerstone.
Sed said Joyce蘑菇视频 tireless effort to help those around her was inspiring and endearing.
鈥淚鈥檓 just so proud of her and impressed with her,鈥� he said.
According to Sed, the steadfast support from Joyce and his reinvigorated faith have allowed him to maintain his sobriety and use the resources from his new life to benefit others.
The Seds now use the profits from their roofing business 鈥� Tri-Link Contracting Service in Eighty Four 鈥� to support Cornerstone.
Sed works closely with a number of veteran-focused nonprofits in the greater Pittsburgh area to provide additional resources for residents at Cornerstone and across the region.
鈥淏ig things, good things can happen if small businesses get together for the greater good, not the greater dollar,鈥� he said.
Always faithful
After a close relative suffered a medical emergency requiring intensive care in late 2023, the Seds decided to take a temporary step back from running the daily operations of Cornerstone.
The Seds then reached out to Chuck Ondo and his organization Semper Fi Mission, a faith-based Pittsburgh nonprofit that supports a range of outreach services to veterans and people experiencing housing insecurity.
According to Executive Director Kenneth 鈥淜en鈥� Aquiline, the Cornerstone蘑菇视频 mission aligns with Semper Fi蘑菇视频 commitment to addressing its neighbors鈥� physical, mental and spiritual needs, making the two nonprofits natural compatriots.
Aquiline said Semper Fi offered to step in and run the day-to-day operations at Cornerstone so the Seds could devote more time to their family.
鈥淲e鈥檙e here to execute Jim and Joyce蘑菇视频 vision,鈥� Aquiline said. 鈥�(The Seds) started this dream, and we鈥檙e carrying it over.鈥�
Aquiline said the close partnership with the Seds has resulted in a 鈥渕eaningful collaboration鈥� that helps veterans transform their lives, which in turn transforms communities.
Granger has used his sobriety and newfound peace to start a 鈥渨onderful鈥� job helping people with disabilities find employment alongside his wife, Robin.
鈥淚t all started for me at (Cornerstone), getting a chance to start over,鈥� he said.