From a flop house to a four-building campus, The Refinery Mission in Opelousas has grown to meet the needs of men in crisis across the state. But nearly 20 years ago, the program itself was at risk.
“I didn’t come in at ground zero. I came in at ground negative. We owed the IRS money; they’d run everything in the ground,” says Johnny Carriere Jr., executive director of the faith-based program.
With the help of a $2 million grant from a federal bank, The Refinery will be able to house over 170 men struggling with poverty, addiction and other behavioral health problems by late next year…