As a registered nurse, helping people came naturally to Marvina Thomas. She recognized that opioids were presenting real problems for her patients, serving only to foster an addiction and not providing the pain relief needed. As she saw her patients struggle with serious side effects and dependance, she found her true calling. Thomas set out to help those who were suffering and had little resources or solutions to help themselves.

She wanted to support people as they worked through struggles with addiction. It was this mission that led to Thomas to launch a 501(C)3 nonprofit, Start Living Behavioral Health. With its origins in 2003, Thomas opened a recovery home to help homeless people kick their alcohol and opioid addictions to get their lives back on track. The nonprofit’s mission is to provide a positive environment where people can learn the basic skills of character, ethics, accountability, responsibility and relationships to prepare them for a better life.