O wens Davillier specializes in second chances.

Working out of renovated buildings that were once condemned crack houses, Davillier runs the H.O.W. Center, a residential facility designed to get recovering alcohol and substance abusers back on their feet. The H.O.W. Center - which stands for the qualities necessary for recovery: Honesty, Open-mindedness, and Willingness - provides economical room and board, as well as daily Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous meetings, job placement services, and individual counseling.

Residents of the center usually arrive with almost no luggage, but a lot of emotional baggage.

"For 28 years, as a practicing drug addict and alcoholic, I brought havoc wherever I went. I broke the hearts of those who loved me and shattered the emotions of those who stood too close," explains an anonymous graduate of the program. "I arrived at the H.O.W. Center hoping for a miracle. And that's what I got."

You'll see H.O.W. Center staff at the Greyhound station at midnight, picking up new parolees and taking them back to the center, where they will help them settle into their temporary home, find a few changes of clothes, and get connected with a job and a support group.

"We offer those who are sufficiently motivated the space and support they need to recreate themselves," says Davillier.

"We help them develop realistic goals and a plan of action to take them from zero to where they can be prosperous, productive citizens.

" Davillier's passion for his work is apparent even when funds are so tight that he runs four months behind on his own paycheck.

"I'm good at what I do," Davillier says, grinning. However, he confesses to feeling out-of-place in the world of competitive grant seeking. "After a while looking for money gets tough. We just can't pay professional grant writers. I went to a grant proposal class in San Antonio, but it's hard to do it alone. We're always putting out 'brush fires'."

At the San Antonio workshop, Davillier heard about the TEES Center for Community Support (CCS). CCS staff helped write a HUD Emergency Shelters Grant and outlined together the necessary policies and procedures, job descriptions, and evaluative instruments.

"Getting the grant gave us more credibility by putting us under the oversight of the federal and state governments. That says to community leaders that we're not some outlaw renegade outfit," Davillier said. "And this year, it made the difference between staying open and giving up."