June 6, 2025
BY JOHN BAILEY
John Lookadoo’s addiction to drugs and alcohol started when he was fifteen and after a lifetime of struggling, he ended up at Strong Life Ministries in Conover. At that moment he was just looking for a bus pass. What he got was a chance to change his life forever.
More than 11,600 individuals were homeless last year in North Carolina, according to data from the 2024 HUD Continuum of Care Homeless count.
Out of that number, one of the largest homeless demographics in North Carolina was men at 6,729.
This includes those who were unsheltered, in transitional housing or in an emergency shelter at the time of the count last December.
To help address this issue in Catawba County, Strong Life Ministries provides a transitional housing program for up to eight men at a time. The Catawba County United Way recently got to sit down and talk to the agency’s staff about the impact of the program.
“We wanted to help people break out of the cycle of homelessness. We kept seeing the same people even after they got help, going back out on the streets,” Director of Strong Life Ministries John Hays said.
He recognized the need for a program that could identify what those barriers were that kept individuals from successfully transitioning out of homelessness and poverty.
“So, what’s causing the cycle? Is it addiction, behavioral health related, work ethic,” Hays said.
The men's transitional program provides an opportunity for those who have been oppressed by poverty to learn to live independently, according to the ministry’s website. This live-in program focuses on the participant's spiritual walk, employment, financial planning and long-term goals. All of this should lead to permanent housing and a stable lifestyle.
“When I first walked into the transitional program after being accepted, I felt a huge rush of relief and peace. I had been struggling with homelessness for years,” Lookadoo said.
Time for a New Direction
The first time he visited Strong Life he was just looking for a bus pass. Hays gave him one and then prayed with him.
Lookadoo eventually ended up being incarcerated for seven months, but when he got out he made his way back to Strong Life. He was sober, got a job and was accepted into the transitional living program.
After a couple of months of working the program, he had an opportunity to step up as the house manager and is currently the Strong Life Men’s Program Director.
“When you have six or eight other guys that your trying to do life with and there’s personality differences, it helps to have someone to help them navigate that,” Hays said. “It’s what is unique about our program, we always have a house manager there to help with the boundaries and provide an example for the guys, and a big part of that is helping them navigate community.”
Hays said that’s the problem for some of the men he sees, they struggle with building and maintaining healthy relationships. For the staff at Strong Life, there’s a delicate balance between encouraging the residents to be disciplined and adhering to the rules while also still showing them the grace to meet them where they are in life.
“John (Lookadoo) has done a great job of establishing an opportunity for men in the community to visit the program and show the guys what a successful life looks like on the other end,” Hays said.
Lookadoo added that it comes down to the individual truly wanting to change their life.
“We’ve had a one hundred percent success rate for the guys who finished the program. They left with jobs and homes, ready to go back into society,” Lookadoo said.
Currently, there are seven men in the transitional living program. Strong Life has had 50 participants overall since the program started with 12 graduates who completed the program and met their goals.
Hays said a big part of the program is learning that you don’t have to walk through it alone.
“You got to lean on people for support. For some they get involved in church. For others it’s with family,” Hays said. “Their old friendships are not good areas of support so they shift out of that and look for new connections.”
At Strong Life, that often includes those standing next to you in the Men’s program.
“Even upon graduation, we encourage the guys to come back and be part of the daily devotionals. As they leave, we want them to know they’re still family and we’re still here for them,” Lookadoo said.
Learn more about the Men's Transitional Program at THIS LINK.
In the photo - John Lookadoo, Strong Life Men’s Program Director, in front of the agencies transitional home for men. By John Bailey/Catawba County United Way