Daniel Elliott was addicted and homeless on and off for more than 20 years before entering Drug Court in 2016 and changing his life. Today, he manages the men's house for Drug Court and hopes to be a good example for the next generation of Drug Court graduates.
Daniel Elliott started using meth when he was in his 30s because of the influence of the people around him.
“Just hanging around the wrong people,” he said of how he began using. “At the time, I thought it was the right people.”
Decades later and a lifetime wiser, Elliott is part of a group aiming to create a new circle of friends and family for newly sober people. As an active member of the Lewis County Drug Court Alumni, he and other members of the group are front and center at many local events, including helping hang the Christmas lights at Borst Park every year as well as their widely successful 5K run in the spring.
“Our community is smaller and a lot of us knew each other when we were in our addiction. If we haven’t used together, we knew who the other one was,” Elliott said. “It makes sense when we all get clean, we’re like family.”
Originally from Tenino, Elliott has spent most of his life in the Southwest Washington area. He said throughout his addiction he was homeless off and on, often staying on friends’ couches. Sometimes he would get his own place but he said it never lasted long. Before his arrest in the summer of 2016 that led him to join the Lewis County Drug Court program, Elliott said he lived in a tent near the railroad tracks off Reynolds Road for eight months.
Elliott said one thing he thinks people who have never experienced homelessness do not realize is that like any situation, homelessness can become someone’s “comfort zone.” While it is certainly not a comfortable way to live, he said often the thought of going into an agency to be evaluated for services is just too overwhelming and frightening for people whose daily routine consists of simply surviving.
“When I was in my tent there was snow on the ground and I put a small tent inside my big tent and I was perfectly fine,” he said, referring to his mental state of not accepting help. “I was comfortable and I would have stayed there if the light hadn’t come on and I decided I was done.”
Just before being arrested in 2016, Elliott said he had decided he wanted to change his life and that if he was arrested, he would accept help through Drug Court. He graduated from Drug Court in February 2017 and today is an active mentor for those working through the program. He runs the men’s house for the program as well as serving on a panel of alumni who are available by phone 24/7 to encourage those in recovery who may find themselves struggling. He also plans to earn his Chemical Dependency Professional degree from Centralia College.
“I do a lot of outreach for homelessness. I go to their camps trying to figure out ways to get them to be evaluated or seen,” Elliott said. “They’re more likely to talk to me than someone from the county because I’ve been there.”
On a recent Saturday, Elliott gathered with a group from the Drug Court Alumni to solicit donations from local businesses for their annual Christmas party. Like Elliott, every member has overcome addiction and has a desire to give back to the community. They said being part of the Drug Court Alumni has given them a new family group that encourages them in the right direction and gives them ways to feel more connected to the community as a whole.
“Today I’m a big part of the community,” said Bonnie Knappek of Centralia, an October 2017 graduate of drug court. “I run the drug court women’s house and that’s so rewarding to me and I’m also a store manager today Three years ago I never would have thought that would be possible.”
“We can show everyone whether it’s addicts or homeless we can change our lives and be better people,” added Tabitha Baldwin of Centralia, an August 2016 graduate of drug court.
