Horse Ranch Gives Recovery Patients Jobs and Second Chances

Bret Johnson had walked from restaurant to restaurant in the Chicago suburbs, asking for any work he could find. With a criminal record and fresh out of addiction treatment, he kept getting turned away.

Then he discovered the Second Story Ranch in Crete, Illinois, where owner Jim O'Connor doesn't ask about anyone's past. He just needs help fixing fences, clearing brush, and caring for horses.

O'Connor launched the First Furlong Fund in February to give people leaving 28-day addiction programs a chance to earn money while they rebuild their lives. He pays $100 for six or seven hours of work and throws in free transportation and lunch.

"They're coming out with no money, no bank account, no cellphone," O'Connor said, explaining why he started the program. Many recovering addicts find themselves in impossible situations, needing jobs to survive but unable to get hired.

Johnson had been living on Link benefits and food pantry visits twice a week, stretching $5 for two weeks until he desperately needed a soda. After a temporary staffing agency rejected him, panic set in.

"It's the fact that I've got a record and I'm an addict," Johnson said. "At least in my mind, I have to hide that, because they're going to judge me."

At the ranch, there's no judgment. Johnson and fellow worker Margaret Vanmatre spent Tuesday morning covered in dirt, smiling as they talked about the peace that comes from outdoor work.

"Being out here, you can think," Vanmatre said. "You clear your mind."

Vanmatre joked about showing up in tennis shoes and makeup, not realizing she'd be working with fence posts that weren't impressed by her appearance. O'Connor gave her work boots, and she got to it.

The Ripple Effect

O'Connor's vision extends far beyond temporary jobs. He's raising money to transform his harness racing facility into a full recovery center where up to 30 men can live rent-free with no set departure date.

The program has already secured $500,000 in private donations and a $250,000 grant from the Will County Opioid Program. O'Connor needs about $4.25 million more to build residential housing, a communal lodge, and leadership homes.

"It's an amazing program for homelessness, for substance use recovery and for people who join the workforce," O'Connor said. State funding could arrive soon, allowing construction to start this summer.

Both Johnson and Vanmatre said they would jump at the chance to live at such a facility. After hearing O'Connor's vision, they signed up to return later in the week.

"It's hard work, but it's worth it," Vanmatre said. "Anything in life is hard, but it's always worth it in the end."

For now, O'Connor keeps the horses fed, the fences mended, and the doors open to anyone who needs a second chance and a day's honest work.