Chris Scilipoti (pictured) was battling an ice addiction which left him homeless, but is now running a commercial painting business which only employs former addicts
A former ice addict has paved the way to recovery for himself and others through painting houses.
Chris Scilipoti was a painter by trade before developing an addiction to methamphetamine, something which left him homeless, 7 News reported.
But in the last year he has built himself back up, launching a professional painting business in Western Australia which only hires addicts in recovery.
‘A year ago I was homeless… I just had a backpack, and that was it,’ he said.
‘You just have no sense of what’s going on or you just don’t care.’
Mr Scilipoti wanted to help others with their own journeys to recovery by giving them something to work towards, and so he launched Straighty One-Eighty and began hiring.
He says his addiction left him homeless and with no direction, but he was a painter by trade prior to becoming an addict, and wanted to use his skills to help others
He picked up Simon Azzalini as a pre-apprentice when the man left rehab, helping him stay on track
He picked up Simon Azzalini straight out of rehab, and gave him a pre-apprenticeship in painting.
It’s a gesture Mr Azzalini says he’s very grateful for, as he felt lost when he first emerged back into daily life.
‘I got out of rehab and I didn’t really have a sense of direction or where I was going,’ he told 7 News.
Earlier this year, secret sewerage testing showed Western Australians are the highest users of ice in the nation, Perth Now reported.
Throughout the country, the average of daily ice consumption is roughly one hit per 28 people – but in Perth the daily average is one hit per 17 people.
Australia was also found to be the second highest for methamphetamine use, coming in behind Slovakia out of 18 countries tested.
Mr Scilipoti is lending a helping hand in Western Australia, which has the highest rate of ice usage in the country