Rising Light Foundation provides recovery housing, hands-on skilled trades training and peer recovery support for adults rebuilding their lives after exiting a treatment program or leaving incarceration.
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Too many people leave treatment or incarceration with nowhere stable to go — and without stability, everything else falls apart. Rising Light Foundation was built on a simple belief: give someone a safe home and a real skill, and you give them a foundation strong enough to build a life on.
"Every person who walks through our door is met with respect, not judgment — because recovery isn't a program you complete, it's a life you rebuild."
We're led by people with lived experience in recovery and hands-on skilled trades — so the support we offer isn't theoretical. It's earned.
We're currently seeking funding for our first transitional house. Every dollar brings us closer to opening our doors and giving someone in Monroe County a safe place to start over. Reach out if you'd like to help make it happen.
Our founder, Jonathan Roberts, also owns and operates 🏠Roberts Restoration and Repair. That hands-on trades experience shapes our skilled-trades training and mobile maintenance crew.
Our doors are open to adults across Monroe County facing any of the following:
*This image is AI-generated to protect the privacy of individuals in our community outreach program.
"I believe recovery doesn't start with a program — it starts with a door that locks, a bed that's yours, and a morning where you don't have to wonder where you'll sleep tonight. That's what we're building, one person at a time."— Jonathan Roberts, Founder
Our approach connects safe housing directly to job skills — participants don't just live somewhere while they wait for life to change. They help build the change.
Rising Light Foundation purchases homes in need of repair in and around Monroe County, often through foreclosure or acquisition programs available to nonprofits.
The property is brought up to a safe, livable standard so a participant can move in — training begins on the next property, not the one someone is living in.
Housing comes with structure: peer support check-ins, accountability, and connection to recovery and mental health resources.
Once settled, participants learn real skilled-trades work by helping restore the next property — building a resume and a trade, not just waiting out a program.
Every part of our work supports the same goal: a stable, sustainable path forward to a brighter future.
Safe and stable housing for adults in recovery from addiction or reentering life after incarceration — a real home, not a waiting room.
Hands-on training in construction and remodeling, taught by people with real experience in the field — building a trade participants can carry for life.
One-on-one support from people who've lived it — regular check-ins, accountability, and connection to community resources.
Program participants apply their trades training to build and install wheelchair ramps and accessible sidewalks for community members who need them. Making necessary repair in homes of low income families to stay code compliant. Creating a safe and healthy envirnment for a stable life. Turning skill-building into a direct, visible act of service.
Grassroots outreach that meets people where they are: on the streets, in encampments, and wherever help is needed most. Our team brings food, water, hygiene supplies, and warm clothing, but more importantly, we bring consistency and respect. Through regular outreach, we build trust and connect people to housing, recovery support, medical care, and community resources. Monroe County has never had a dedicated street outreach program. We're changing that.
Rising Light Foundation runs on community — time, skills, and support from people who believe in second chances.
Lend a hand on a rehab project, share a trade skill, or support a program day. Volunteers are always welcome, no experience required.
Volunteer With UsIf you're in a position to support our work, every gift helps move a home — and a life — forward. We're happy to talk through what giving looks like, at any level.
Ask About GivingWe work with local organizations, employers, and agencies who want to support recovery housing and workforce development in Monroe County.
Start a ConversationYou are not defined by your past here.
Whether you're looking for housing, want to volunteer, or want to learn more — we'd love to hear from you.