Overcoming alcohol and lack of hope: the story of Roman and Kasia

Since its creation, Barka's main objective has been to teach people skills that enable them to survive, so that they can then empower others to do the same.

This domino effect has proven highly successful, but the journey from homeless to homeowner isn't an easy one. One of the toughest challenges faced by many of the people who arrive in a Barka house is having to give up the crutch they've relied on, often for many years -- alcohol.

All Barka communities have strict rules when it comes to drinking. People who abuse alcohol when they first arrive are asked to quit. Those who are unable to lick the habit on their own are told to go to a treatment center.

Recovering alcoholics are important members of the Barka homes because they are able to tell their story to new arrivals who don't think they are strong enough to give up alcohol. "They give testimony to those people who arrive with big problems, who don't believe anybody, who don't see any perspective, no hope, nothing," Ms. Sadowska says. "Because many of the housemates have stopped drinking, they are very, very careful. When new people show up, they tell them, 'Be careful. I'm an alcoholic. If you start drinking, it will affect me.' If a person refuses to go to treatment, they are told they cannot stay in the house."

Of Chudopczyce's many success stories, the case of Roman and Kasia is among the most striking. In 1998, Roman was living in a train station in Poznan, while his girlfriend, Kasia, lived with their son in an orphanage. The family had been evicted from their home, and Roman, a heavy drinker, had lost his job. Neither had any family or means of support. Shortly after the birth of their second child, the couple decided to go to the Barka home they'd heard about from one of Roman's friends in the train station. Arriving at Chudopczyce, Roman was told he would have to go to treatment to quit drinking, and he accepted.

Step by step, Roman recovered from his addiction and learned to live without alcohol, but it was a long process. At that time, the rest of the housemates were busy renovating the apartment blocks. "We told him that if he needed an apartment, he must help us," Ms. Sadowska says. "We told him, 'We don't have someone who is a plumber, and we don't have the money to pay for it.'" So Roman renovated the pipes that would carry the heat from the new wood-burning boiler.

Today, some three years later, Roman, aged 30, and Kasia, 27, have had a third child -- a boy who is now one and a half. They also got married and baptized their children. To make money, Roman has teamed up with four young men from Barka to form a private construction crew. Kasia is in charge of taking care of the community's guest rooms, in addition to caring for the children.

"Now they're a very good family," Ms. Sadowska says.