Prevention Point Philadelphia

A beautiful, wide-ranging interview that ultimately carries a message of hope—for recovery from substance use, and for the continuation of Native cuisine and other cultural traditions. We recommend!

Apache chef Nephi Craig says cooking Native food saved his life Craig has cooked in a high-end steakhouse — and for 7,800 prisoners in jail. He writes about cooking, his struggle with addition and his Native American heritage in the memoir Our Knives Will Save Us.

Thanks to Ryan for sharing a piece of his story with us for the newsletter this week. Just before the newsletter went out, Ryan moved from Philly Home at Girard into his new, permanent apartment. Congratulations to him!

Ryan Welch has watched Kensington change over nearly five decades. Now 47, Ryan was born and raised in the neighborhood, and remembers it being a close-knit, working-class community. But even back then, drugs were ever-present in his childhood and shaped his life from an early age.

"My whole history started when I was younger, selling drugs," Ryan said. "I used to sell he**in and crack... it was in my family my whole life."

Substance use soon became part of his own story, leading to years of addiction alongside his girlfriend. He had periods of recovery, including nearly six years while living in New Jersey and running his own painting company—“I’ve seen a better side of life,” he says. Ryan’s father was a stone mason, and had instilled in him a strong work ethic. But after a head-on collision with a bus, Ryan relapsed. The long healing process left him isolated, and the $80,000 legal settlement proved impossible to resist.

“I had a safe in my room with money wrapped in rubber bands, and it would talk to me sometimes,” he recalls. “That's what started me up again, being bored. I would dib and dab, and before you know it, I would go to Atlantic City to buy he**in.”

Ryan's Story: The Letter that Changed Everything | Prevention Point Ryan Welch has watched Kensington change over nearly five decades.

The July issue of "To the Point" is out! This issue highlights PPP's role in the creation and success of Philly Home at Girard! This safe haven is a visionary new model for medical care integrated with emergency housing for people who use drugs—a model that recognizes that shelter, medical care, and long-term stability go hand in hand. Read all about it from the PHG management: Jul, Monique, Shana, and Maggie: https://mailchi.mp/ppponline/to-the-point-july2026

Join PPP Womxn's Night tomorrow, July 15, for a SUMMER PARTY from 5:45 to 7:45 p.m. We'll have food, music, clothing, prizes, and AC!

Exciting, life-changing things are happening at Philly Home at Girard—the low-barrier safe haven operated in partnership with Project HOME City of Philadelphia Government Warren E. Smith, and PPP. Learn more in our newsletter, “To the Point,” going out later this week! Sign up: http://eepurl.com/h7AaaL

Massive thanks to the PHG medical & housing teams, and most of all to our residents, who are putting in the work every day to keep themselves and their communities healthier and safer.