BY DAN HILDEBRAN
Monitor Editor
KEYSTONE HEIGHTS— Six years ago Troy Stephens lived through a parent’s worst nightmare when he got a phone call telling him his daughter Morgan had shot both of her sons and herself.
Now, Stephens is trying to prevent similar tragedies through a new nonprofit that seeks to help recovering substance abusers or their family members with affordable housing, mentoring and training.
Stephens told the Keystone Heights Rotary Club that Morgan struggled with methamphetamines for about five years but was able to get to a program where she was freed from the addiction.
“The problem is the drug had taken its effect on her psyche,” he said, “so you can go from being relatively normal to being bipolar, paranoid, schizophrenic, all of those things which requires you to take psychotropic drugs to stay on an even keel. It’s just a vicious cycle.”
Stephens said one of the boys died at the scene and days later, Morgan died after being taken off of life support.
One of Stephen’s grandsons survived, although he cannot see out of his right eye.
“He sees out of that left eye,” Stephens said, “even though the main optical nerve was severed. He walks and talks and runs and plays and sings and understands everything. He does have a little limp which he’ll probably always have, but he’s alive and he’s doing well.”
Stephens said Morgan’s story is a snapshot of the tragic situations many Lake Region residents find themselves in today.
“Many, many people are affected by addiction,” he said. “There are many women out here that are either living with an abuser or they’re abusing substances themselves.”
Stephens said that the women his group tries to help, typically live with a substance abuser who is also the breadwinner in the home.
“When the substance abuser decides: “I’m out of here, or maybe he gets incarcerated, the woman is either by herself or she has a child, maybe two in tow.”
With no income and no money, Stephens said these women typically get evicted.
“So, where does she go?” he asked. “She lives in a car; She couch surfs with somebody if she has some friends. If she’s really fortunate, she has family, but what I’ve found out over my years is that more often than not, the bridges are burned long before she gets to that point.”
Many times, they have nowhere to go.
“My daughter was in the same position,” Stephens said. “She had my oldest daughter to stay with, but that wears on them after a while.”
Stephens said he can’t say for sure whether or not an organization like Morgan’s House would have made a difference in his daughter’s life.
“But I do know that it has helped women and children today,” he said. “Morgan’s House was created to give these women and children that are affected by addiction and abuse a chance.”
Stephens said Morgan’s House is not a rehab facility and does not accept residents who are abusing substances.
In addition to temporary housing, the group offers women mentoring and plans to help them move forward in their lives.
He said his group works with Answers Resource Facility in Keystone Heights.
Stephens said the organization now only has a small building it can use for a couple of days in which to house a small family.
The group hopes to build a multi-family complex that will house families for between three and six months.
“When they come in here, they will be put with mentors, caseworkers that can help them formulate a plan to move forward with them and their children,” he said. “It would include education, life skills and job training.”
The group is now looking for land and funding to move forward with its plans.
Stephens said more information about Morgan’s House can be found at MorgansHouse.org.
