EKCEP’s SITE Program Helps Stevi Shirley Obtain Peer Support Certificate to Advance Her Career

Stevi Shirley's journey from addiction to recovery has been arduous, spanning nearly five years since she first entered treatment in December 2019. But today, thanks to her own determination and support from the Strategic Initiative for Transformational Employment (SITE), she is poised to turn her lived experience into a lifeline for others battling substance use disorder.

Stevi Shirley displays her peer support certificate. 

Shirley, a resident of Taylor County, said after high school her drug use escalated from experimental to what seemed like a daily necessity, something she attributed to a difficult upbringing and falling in with the wrong crowds when she was younger.

“I fully got into addiction,” Shirley said. “It wasn’t just an experiment here and there anymore. Everything I could get my hands on I did it, and never missed a day without it. [I was] homeless hopping from house to house.” 

In 2016, her addiction intensified after the loss of her mother. Turning to meth resulted in having her children taken away and being constantly on the run. 

Fortunately, there was one social worker who was especially supportive and encouraging, and Shirley began to believe that she could do better and turn her life around. 

“I finally gave up addiction. I was done. I was at rock bottom for years,” she said. “A change was scary after believing I was never going to be anything other than an addict.” 

Using her own rock bottom as a catalyst to getting sober and seeking out a sober living home, she completed all the required phases and graduated from their treatment program. 

Having taken significant steps in her recovery, Shirley took another in 2021 when she enrolled in college and began working toward a degree in substance abuse counseling while working full-time in a local factory. She also wanted to earn a peer support certification, which would enable her to instead work in the recovery field while in school, but she needed support with funding the certification training. 

After learning about SITE and that it might help her cover costs associated with peer support training, Shirley contacted Jeremy Lewis, a SITE Job Entry & Retention Support Specialist (JERSS) who works with clients in the Cumberlands workforce area of Kentucky.

An initiative of Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program (EKCEP), SITE provides valuable career and support services to Kentuckians in recovery while actively cultivating second-chance job opportunities. Within 48 hours of her reaching out, Lewis met with Shirley at the Taylor County Public Library in Campbellsville. He helped her complete all the paperwork needed to enroll in the program. 

Through SITE, Lewis was able to cover the full cost of Shirley’s training and certification. On Aug. 18, she was awarded her certificate for competition of the Train Kentucky, LLC’s 30-Hour DBHDID Approved Adult Peer Support Certification Course. 

“Getting this Peer Support Certificate meant the world to me,” she said. “I am ready to get out there and help others and show them they are not alone and that all of this is possible!”

Shirley said getting support from EKCEP was an easy process and added, “I am so happy! That training was one of the best experiences I have ever had. I had no idea this help [from EKCEP’s SITE program] was out there, and I would one hundred percent recommend it.” 

If you are in recovery and need support, EKCEP can help with resources to get certifications and training for a new career, help you obtain essential documents like IDs, driver's licenses, and social security cards, and even assist with transportation and other barriers that might prevent you from maintaining employment. Connect with your local JERSS today at ekcep.org/recovery. 

EKCEP, a nonprofit workforce development agency headquartered in Hazard, Ky., serves the citizens of 23 Appalachian coalfield counties. The agency provides an array of workforce development services and operates the Kentucky Career Center JobSight network of workforce centers, which provide access to more than a dozen state and federal programs that offer employment and training assistance for jobseekers and employers all under one roof. Learn more about us at http://www.ekcep.org, http://www.jobsight.org and http://www.facebook.com/ekcep.