Ben will never forget his first day waiting tables at Provisions Restaurant, a Transitional Living Services program that offers assisted employment to people recovering from mental illness. "For some reason, they thought I would make a good waiter. But I was suffering from severe tremors from a medication I was taking. It was really difficult for me. I was very nervous and fearful that I would be fired."

Ben wasn't fired. Two years later, he is a full-time peer specialist at Unique Peerspectives, a Transitional Living Services community center that offers supports for people suffering from mental illness. He is also an accomplished musician-last year, his self-released hip-hop album was nominated for a SAMMY award. And he'll always remember the role that Provisions played in his recovery. "Provisions helped me get some of my self-reliance back while my music was helping me rebuild my confidence. I'm not going to say that Provisions solved all the problems in my life, but it helped integrate me into the workforce and that was a huge step."