Codie Bush’s life is not what she expected it to be.
At 19, she became heavily involved in drugs and found herself in trouble with the law.
Thanks to the faith of a woman who had been in a similar position to Codie, she now sees herself working in administration at Fresh Start in Northam.
Codie who grew up in Northam was visited by Tina and David Gunter, Fresh Start’s recovery and program coordinators during her time in prison.
The pair decided to take a chance on Codie who has previous business experience and she has been in the administration role since October 2017.
Codie described the support she received from Fresh Start as ‘life changing’.
“I wasn’t a part of the program but to be able to be given a position after prison to give me direction, it gave me value,” she said.
“They’ve given me a chance to prove myself and my abilities and my value to an employer.
“On paper a lot of people might not have given me a chance but now I am able to prove what I can do, in person.”
“Codie has been wonderful,” said Fresh Start program coordinator David Gunter.
“I think what’s important is that when we talk about who’s responsible for addiction it’s a community thing.
“If we want to bring people out of prison and want them to succeed the community needs to come together.
“We wanted to prepare her for what she was to expect once she came out of prison.
“We then put her in the volunteer position straight away to give her some self worth and identity.”
Codie was also involved in the development of the newly opened The Hill Cafe Company.
“I had back and forth communication with the Shire about gaining a food license, put together rosters and put in procedures for cleaning,” she said.
Codie has aims of going to TAFE to complete a certificate 3 in community services so she can become a support worker in the future within the Wheatbelt area.
She said her relationship with her parents is stronger than ever, with support also coming from family.
