CHAPTER ONE
CALVIN'S JOURNEY
Listen to how Calvin and Angel met.
To tell the story of Sobriety Point, one must understand why its creator, Calvin Kirby, needed it in the first place. Calvin Kirby, a 34-year-old man from Gallipolis, Ohio, had a long history of run-ins with the law and a cycle of homelessness all stemming from his drug addictions. The creation of Sobriety Point was a healing and empowering change for him and others.
Early in life, Calvin experienced instability and a series of traumas that later contributed to his drug addictions. His parents had separated early in his life and he lived with his mother. The family moved often, leaving him feeling isolated and lost. He began using drugs in order to deal with the pain of that isolation. After graduating from high school, Calvin moved to Huntington, West Virginia. Between jobs, he began selling drugs in order to survive.
What led us to being homeless at first? Drug activity and drug addiction.”
-Calvin Kirby
Calvin speaks about bringing Angel to his level through using drugs together.
In Calvin’s days of addiction, he received a tattoo with his last name spelled incorrectly. He plans to never cover it up because it serves as a reminder of what drugs can do to him.
On January 15, 2012, Calvin met his future wife, Angel, in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. At the time Angel was in recovery. Shortly after, however, she relapsed. In 2014, they relocated to Parkersburg, West Virginia where they moved around from friend to friend, sleeping on couches. Calvin acknowledges he had a temper that made him unbearable for others to be around, and ultimately led him and Angel to homelessness. Following two drug-related arrests, Calvin was offered the option to enter a West Virginia drug court rather than spend time in jail. The need for a stable and sober living situation became apparent. His journey towards sobriety began on November 3, 2015.
Calvin and Angel knew living on the streets in Parkersburg would not help them stay sober, so they found an unoccupied plot of land owned by the city. The location, tucked away between a bustling highway and a quiet creek of the Ohio River, offered Calvin and Angel refuge.
alvin was a part of a methamphetamine production lab that eventually led to his arrest in 2015. The Parkersburg News Sentinel reported on the police operation, stating that, "Kirby was indicted on charges of conspiracy to operate or attempting to operate a clandestine drug laboratory and possession of a precursor to manufacture methamphetamine." The arrest was a catalyst in the eventual creation of their sober encampment.
