While recovering from substance abuse, Charles Hanset Jr. decided to start an outreach program to help the unhoused community in Clark County by filling his car with clothes and resource information.
Since 2018, Hanset Jr. has been expanding his outreach mission with his nonprofit, Thrive2Survive. His goal is to meet with unhoused individuals and provide them with resources they need, such as haircuts, meals, clothing, IDs and more. Hanset Jr. isn’t alone in his efforts, however.
“I have a peer workforce of 18 individuals. You know, we are a second-chance hiring agency for people that do have a checkered background,” Hanset Jr. said. “Maybe we don’t have a master’s degree, but we have a master’s in lived experience and how to survive on the street and how to get off the street.”
Thrive2Survive holds quarterly resource events at the Living Hope Church, 2711 NE Andresen Road in Vancouver. Hanset Jr. has also introduced smaller resource events throughout Clark County, with the most recent occurring at Battle Ground Health Care on Friday, Aug. 16. He hopes the resource events will inspire individuals to ultimately become peer leaders themselves.
“I can see every guest that comes through our door at these events as a person that can be in my position, you know, a founder and executive director of a nonprofit that provides work source, peer support, hope for our residents of Clark County,” he said.
Hanset Jr. relates to those he serves with his own life experiences.
“My individual lived experiences are seven years in recovery and then out of jail, prison, treatment my whole life,” he said. “What helped lift me up was the drug court system here in Clark County and just the attractiveness of the peers that work there. Individuals that I myself used to maybe run the street with that now have a fruitful job to help people like ourselves was really attractive and graduating from that program and becoming a drug court mentor really helped out.”
Hanset Jr. started resource events to connect the unhoused community members to local resources and programs, including helping unhoused and low-income individuals learn how to get on Medicaid, get a cell phone, address mental health and more.
At the quarterly resource events in Vancouver, Hanset Jr. said 50 to 60 vendors ranging from the Department of Licensing to local barbers and more meet with the unhoused in one location.
“So, that’s how I model Thrive2Survive, and so today we serve over 1,300 individuals at our large quarterly event at Living Hope Church,” Hanset Jr. said.
During his Aug. 16 resource event at Battle Ground Health Care, Hanset Jr. said roughly 200 individuals attended, beating his expectation of 50 to 75 individuals. He said many came to sign up for medical insurance and have Humane Society of Southwest Washington Mobile Veterinary Clinic staff provide services for pets.
Thrive2Survive also facilitates the Sonya Fund in honor of Hanset Jr.’s sister. The Sonya Fund assists Clark County families with the financial burden of honoring loved ones who succumbed to addiction or homelessness. He said the fund has helped with celebration of life costs, funeral costs, cremations and more for seven individuals in Clark County this year along with seven last year. For more information about the Sonya Fund and to donate, visit thrive2survivewa.org/sonya-fund-1.
The next quarterly outreach event will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 21 in Vancouver with over 60 organizations attending, Hanset Jr. said, including the Humane Society of Southwest Washington and more.
To learn more about Thrive2Survive, including ways to help, visit thrive2survivewa.org.
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