From dope houses to hope houses: Couple revitalizes lives, neighborhoods

Summary

Ben and Jess Owen have transformed their past lives of addiction into a mission of hope and restoration in Memphis, Tennessee. Once entrenched in the dope economy, the couple now leads 'We Fight Monsters,' a nonprofit focusing on converting former crack dens into safe homes. By purchasing and revitalizing properties where they once did drugs, they provide shelter and a fresh start for recovering addicts. Their innovative approach extends to running sober halfway houses and utilizing data intelligence to combat human trafficking. Their efforts emphasize the power of redemption and community support, demonstrating that real change is possible when people commit to transforming their lives and the neighborhoods they once impacted negatively.

Highlights

• Ben and Jess Owen have turned old dope houses in Memphis into safe havens for recovery. 🏠
• Their nonprofit supports recovering addicts by providing housing and a fresh start. 🌄
• The couple's business savvy aids in funding these transformative efforts through donations. 💸
• They've expanded their mission, aiding Afghan families with safe housing using their web infrastructure skills. 🌐
• Despite challenges, their work exemplifies redemption, proving how action and support can reshape lives. 🌟

Key Takeaways

• Ben and Jess Owen turn their past struggles into a mission of hope, transforming former crack houses into safe homes in Memphis. 🔨
• Their nonprofit, 'We Fight Monsters,' sources funds through tax-deductible donations, focusing on community revitalization. 🌟
• Ben and Jess also use data from their company, Black Rifle, to combat human trafficking and have supported Afghan families by creating safe housing. 🌍
• The couple demonstrates the power of meeting people where they are, aiming to drive real, grassroots change. 💪
• Their work is pioneering, showing how communities can be uplifted through second chances and determined action. 💼

Overview

In a remarkable twist of fate, Ben and Jess Owen have returned to the streets of South Memphis, where they once lived life on the edge, to make a profound impact. Their organization, 'We Fight Monsters,' takes former drug houses and turns them into safe, clean living spaces for those seeking recovery. Their efforts demonstrate what’s possible when people are given a second chance and the right tools to change their lives.

The mission goes beyond just providing housing. Ben and Jess are deeply involved in the broader scope of rehabilitation and revitalization. They leverage their experience and business skills to fund their nonprofit through donations and creative projects. Not only are they transforming houses, but they are also rebuilding lives, providing former addicts a way to reintegrate into society and contribute positively.

Their impactful work doesn’t stop at the city limits of Memphis. Through technology and collaboration with military veterans, they have expanded their reach internationally, offering safe havens for Afghan families fleeing conflict. Ben and Jess exemplify the power of grassroots initiatives, showing us that true change comes from understanding and addressing the needs of the community firsthand.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction The chapter introduces Ben Owen, a man who identifies as a recovered addict, who along with his wife Jess and their team in Memphis, is using their experiences and business acumen to assist others battling addiction. The chapter highlights their mission to return to Memphis to support people they had previously left behind.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Background and Transformation The chapter titled 'Background and Transformation' unfolds the past life of Ben and Jess Owen, who spent five years deeply involved in illicit activities, massively fueling the drug economy. Despite their insidious lifestyle, they maintained a semblance of hope through a constant 'foxhole prayer,' asking for divine intervention to escape from their dire circumstances with a promise to return and help others in similar situations. The chapter explores their intimate knowledge and experiences within the drug scene in South Memphis and highlights their transformation toward seeking redemption.
• 01:00 - 02:00: Returning to Memphis The chapter titled 'Returning to Memphis' describes how a couple who once struggled with addiction made a significant transformation. Five years after getting clean, they fulfill a promise to return to Memphis from Georgia. They purchase the very crack houses where they once engaged in drug use and witnessed constant sex trafficking. The chapter highlights their efforts to reclaim and change a neighborhood marked by past suffering, with specific mention of a former brothel nearby, known for trafficking nine women.
• 02:00 - 03:00: Creating the Nonprofit The chapter titled 'Creating the Nonprofit' discusses the chaotic and dangerous environment of 1186 Melrose, as recounted by Ben on Chilling Tales on YouTube. In 2017, multiple shootings occurred at this location. Ben describes his own struggles with addiction, reaching a point where he considered suicide. His recount highlights the severity and personal impact of the circumstances surrounding this house.
• 03:00 - 04:00: Success Stories The chapter titled 'Success Stories' opens with a miraculous event involving a danger that was narrowly averted. The narrative introduces Ben and Jess, the founders of a Memphis nonprofit named 'We Fight Monsters'. Their organization is dedicated to transforming problematic addresses, such as the infamous crack house at 1186 Melrose, into positive spaces like a show house. As part of their mission, they made practical changes to the property, such as expanding the very tiny bathroom, keeping in mind their goal to accommodate women and children. The chapter mentions Lucrecia Sims, who is now a resident of the transformed living space.
• 04:00 - 05:00: Expanding Impact The chapter "Expanding Impact" discusses the transformative journey of individuals and communities through rehabilitation and investment in housing. Luri, together with her two siblings, are rescued by Ben and Jess, who have successfully persuaded her to undergo treatment, resulting in a positive life transformation she cherishes. The narrative highlights the significant role of reconstructed homes as investments, not just in material terms, but as investments in rebuilding lives. The non-profit's mission to renovate homes serves a greater purpose of fostering recovery and rejuvenating communities.
• 05:00 - 06:00: Involvement with Afghan Safe Houses The chapter titled 'Involvement with Afghan Safe Houses' discusses the oversight of several properties on Melrose and former crack houses in South Memphis, aimed at rebuilding lives. The Memphis Rebos network operates halfway houses with a total of 42 beds for individuals in early recovery from addiction. The nonprofit has a mission to transform old 'dope houses' into 'hope houses.' It highlights efforts of individuals, like 49-year-old Christopher Bobbit, who play roles in these recovery missions, often supported by judicial encouragement from drug court.
• 06:00 - 07:00: Mission and Vision The chapter 'Mission and Vision' discusses the transformation of former crack houses in South Memphis into habitable homes. Bobbit, having achieved the longest stretch of sobriety since his teenage years, is involved in this nonprofit initiative. A mother, who has faced and overcome numerous challenges, will start a new life with her children in one of these homes. These homes have been repaired with new electrical and plumbing systems to provide a decent living space. The chapter highlights the theme of renewal and redemption, as people who were once broken are now part of the effort to help others rebuild their lives.
• 07:00 - 07:30: Conclusion In the conclusion, the narrative highlights the transformation of individuals like Jess who have gone through rehabilitation and are now contributing positively to the community. By focusing on closing down dope houses and replacing them with revitalized spaces, they help stabilize and rejuvenate neighborhoods. This initiative is primarily funded through tax-deductible donations to Ben and Jess's organization, 'We Fight Monsters,' demonstrating a sustainable model for community improvement and personal recovery.

From dope houses to hope houses: Couple revitalizes lives, neighborhoods Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 a man who describes himself as a recovered longtime crackhead junky alcoholic now playing a gigantic role in helping other meni in struggling with addiction that's right in an astounding about face a man named Ben Owen his wife Jess and their growing Memphis team are using their recoveries and business savvy to help people fight monsters in the Bluff City and beyond our calling was to come back to Memphis for the people we left behind and the reason reason for that you know
• 00:30 - 01:00 we spent 5 years being an absolute Terror on these streets out here uh pumping tons of money into the dope economy they wanted nothing to do with the dope game at all tatted and raw Ben Owen walks like he's right at home on the dead end of Melrose just off mmore in South Memphis where Owen and his wife Jess say they did a lot of dope we always had like this Foxhole prayer that we would say even when we were in the Trap House living there and it was you know God if you can get us out of this together we promise we'll come back for those we left behind
• 01:00 - 01:30 [Music] the couple has come a long way from their mugshot days they bottomed out and got clean 5 years ago the couple kept their prayerful promise and returned to Memphis from Georgia buying the very crack houses where they did drugs and saw sex trafficking 24/7 we have what used to be a brothel right down the street here uh there were a total of nine women trafficked out of that house
• 01:30 - 02:00 four people shot in that house that I know of in 2017 Ben tells Chilling Tales on YouTube about the crime riddled chaos that happened at 1186 Melrose I was an act of addiction and smoking my life away and I mean came very close to killing myself out here um a thousand times over uh in fact back corner of this house through that back door I actually had a pistol to my head and the dude on the other end
• 02:00 - 02:30 of that pistol pulled the trigger and it's a a miracle that it didn't go off I don't know what sort of divine intervention happened call it a miracle if you like Ben and Jess created a Memphis nonprofit called we fight monsters that transforms addresses like 1186 Melrose the longtime crack house into a show House what we decided to do was was make the bathroom larger because it was very very tiny and we knew we were going to be putting women and kids in here lucrecia Sims now lives in the
• 02:30 - 03:00 remodeled home with her spouse and grandchildren luri Ben and Jess say they got high here together regularly luri and her two siblings were among those Ben and Jess returned to rescue Ben and Jess persuade me to get into treatment so I got into treatment and this is the outcome I wouldn't trade in for for nothing I like the use of the word Investments right these houses are investments in people's lives we're not just rebuilding houses we are rebuilding lives they're nonprofit profet now
• 03:00 - 03:30 oversees four properties on Melrose and other former crack houses in South Memphis where more lives are being rebuilt then they purchased the Memphis rebos network of halfway houses for people in early recovery rebos is sober spelled backwards the nonprofit overseas 42 beds where formerly addicted people get going forward in life often with a nudge from drug court well the mission is to turn old dop houses into hope houses 49 yold Christopher bobbit has 20
• 03:30 - 04:00 months of sobriety longest stretch of clean living He says since he's teen years bobbit works on another of the nonprofits former crack houses on South memphis's Woodward Street a mother who suffered and overcome many challenges will have a place to begin a new life with her children here we pretty much patched all the bullet holes up and new electrical new Plumbing so they're going to have a decent little home to live in it's the broken that's coming to fix the broken deed says drug court sent him to
• 04:00 - 04:30 rehab and then been in Jess's halfway house where he's helped fix old crack houses and learned a new way of life now that I'm learning how to live sober now this is what you do to keep it in action and to keep moving forward and you close down these houses the dope houses you remove that driver of instability from the community and the entire thing just revitalizes it comes back it's a beautiful thing to watch Ben and Jess Finance all this through tax deductible donations to their we fight monsters
• 04:30 - 05:00 Memphis nonprofit where they've been the most generous benefactors Owen owns Black Rifle a Georgia data intelligence company focused on the Firearms industry as he told the podcast modern America so we we essentially created an ad platform uh using the same data the same observe behavioral data Google uses to allow people that have firearms Brands to advertise we use the same data to try to combat human trafficking wherever we can that kind of Innovation caught the
• 05:00 - 05:30 attention of a network of military veterans who served in Afghanistan Owen an army vet says he was less than two years sober when recruited by the network to use his web abilities and Street Savvy to help track and then house Afghan interpreters and their families many Afghans who had helped US troops in the long war with the Taliban were on the run from the brutal regime I I got to say I my junkie skill set my addict skill set came in super handy on
• 05:30 - 06:00 that in an incredible turn of events Ben and Jess say they leas and managed 68 Afghan safe houses and helped some Afghan families escape the war torn country now looking back safe housing in Afghanistan was a lot easier than running Ser living in Memphis CU we're taking people from these same streets uh and pulling them into our mission you know we've seen dope boys stop selling dope we've seen pimps stop selling women and they all have kind of come alongside our mission helping us uh like I said
• 06:00 - 06:30 turn dope houses into hope houses and uh I I'm not really aware of anybody else in the world that's doing what we're doing out here which is sad because it's it's a it's a life-changing thing I don't know of anybody doing this um to where they've come back to the exact same place they used to do bad things in and make it better but that was our promise to God and and we're doing it could it be that Memphis where so many great companies have been founded and flour could it be the Bluff
• 06:30 - 07:00 City with so much crime that it's a nightly crisis might be the very place where Ben and Jess Owen are pioneering a piece of the puzzle to part of the solution that could be replicated widely the founders of we fight monsters say yes we pulled this off without firing a single shot without sending a single person to jail you know it's just meeting people where they're at and trying to get it done right here at a Grassroots level and I think if we want to drive any real change in South are
• 07:00 - 07:30 really in any big issue that we face in America that's the only way it's going to happen if you'd like to learn more about the Memphis nonprofit We Fight monsters and the selfless service of Ben and Jesso and click on this story at actionnews.com [Music]