2nd Story Ranch

Free to attend. All are welcome!

Our mission featured in the Chicago Tribune!

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/05/10/addiction-recovery-horse-crete-first-workers/?share=utrrd5rpttritskiwioc&fbclid=IwdGRjcARvFthjbGNrBG8WqGV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHqspATj1xbgy21RgUyafRy1xlRBoYejGITG2iKfZ-rBnbcPqK2lSu4BHiPvv_aem_j1Cpzpl9bBTPClosOvmNiA

Planned addiction recovery horse ranch in Crete offers short-term jobs for people leaving treatment As Jim O’Connor continues his quest for funding to transform his Crete horse ranch and harness racing training facility into a live-in addiction recovery center, he’s begun welcoming people from nearby recovery communities in…

Mark your calendars for June 6th and come visit 2nd Story Ranch for some food, music, horses 4:30pm - 6pm.
All are welcome to stay for AA meeting to follow.

This is Terry and Jimmy.

Both are living in a Joliet-area recovery home. Both are part of the Recovery Community Center of Joliet’s Day 29 Peer Support Program.

And this week—they became the first participants in the 2nd Story Ranch Recovery Workforce Program.

After completing a Medicaid-funded 28-day inpatient program for OUD/SUD, transitioning to a recovery home is supposed to be a step toward stability.

But the reality looks like this:
- Rent: $175/week
- No cell phone service
- No bank account
- No money
- Background checks
- No transportation
- Triggers everywhere

We ask people to rebuild their lives—starting from zero.

That’s why the 2nd Story Ranch and RCCJ partnered to create something simple, but powerful:

- Transitional, part-time work
- Farm work, equine care, agriculture
- Work alongside men with lived experience in long-term recovery
- Round-trip transportation
- Lunch provided
- Daily stipend

Not just a program—a bridge. A path forward.

Today, we asked Terry and Jimmy what they needed most..:

Top three:
- Food
- Rent
- Boots/Clothes

Not complicated. Just real.

Jimmy said, unprompted:
“Man, it feels good to have a couple bucks in my pocket—and not want drugs. And it feels good to
work.”

“Love and work are the cornerstones of our humanness.” — Sigmund Freud

2nd Story Ranch… Boots on, Lets Go!
RCCJ