State Sen. Patrick Joyce said he grew to believe in the vision of a live-in addiction recovery center at a 68-acre horse ranch in unincorporated Crete through the attitude of its founder, Jim O’Connor.

“I’ll tell you what, that guy is high energy,” Joyce said. “I think it’s going to be one of our most successful programs, especially (near) the district, but I mean statewide, just because of the man who’s running it.”

Joyce, a Democrat from Essex, said O’Connor “got in front of me many times,” and spoke openly about his own alcohol abuse recovery, taking part in a work-based program that inspired him to buy property on the corner of East Bemes Road and South Klemme Road to found Second Story Ranch.

“I said, get in front of my colleagues,” Joyce recalled telling O’Connor. “Cause once they meet you — I mean, the state should be helping with programs like this.”

O’Connor did just that, launching a public capital campaign in December for construction of the facility’s planned buildings: Housing for up to 30 men in recovery to live long term, a 7,000-square-foot communal lodge and a pair of single-family homes for project leadership.

The return came when Gov. JB Pritzker recently signed the state budget, which earmarked $2 million for Second Story Ranch. It’s an investment O’Connor said will help to meet his goal to begin construction sometime this fall, completing the project in two phases.

“I wasn’t jumping up and down and screaming about the money,” O’Connor said. “We took about a minute or two to celebrate, and then it was like, let’s go to work,” he said.

O’Connor said he doesn’t take lightly the responsibility that comes with others’ support for his vision, expressing intentions to put to good use the state funding, along with smaller contributions in the form of grants and donations.

With the $2 million grant through the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, O’Connor expects to break ground on housing for staff members and other necessary ranch infrastructure.

“The grant award does a lot of things,” he said. “It’s validation that other people share our vision for recovery, and they understand that we can build a transformational recovery asset.”

But he’s still advocating for an additional $3 million within the next six to nine months to build the larger lodge and residences for program participants, most likely through state-distributed opioid settlement funding.

O’Connor said if successful in that effort, the program could be operational by the end of 2027.

Meanwhile, O’Connor will continue looking to help those in recovery in the short term, providing paid work at the ranch in partnership with the Recovery Community of Joliet.

Speaking with those workers, he said his resolve grew to provide resources and a temporary home for people after their stay in a 28-day inpatient program. The goal is to provide participants “a deep level of support, so they can achieve self-sufficiency and independence,” O’Connor said.

Once the ranch opens, the program will be free and offered as an option for those who are Medicaid-eligible through partnering organizations throughout the state.

Individuals can donate to the project’s GoFundMe, which can be found at http://www.gofundme.com by searching for Second Story Foundation charity.

ostevens@chicagotribune.com