ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — For more than twenty years the Mustard Seed Inn has been a place of refuge for people recovering from addiction and mental illness. 

Thanks to efforts by Leadership St. Pete, it has received a major makeover in the Grand Central District.

What You Need To Know

  • The Mustard Seen Inn received major improvements thanks to Leadership St. Pete

  • The Inn is a place of refuge for people recovering from addiction and mental illness

  • The upgrades, including a new outside patio, cost more than $150,000

  • The next upgrade is to install a pergola for shade on the patio

"I had a decade of sobriety and I started here,” said resident Darryl Harmon.

Harmon and his friend Lawrence Wright both live at the Mustard Seed Inn. 

Darryl recovered at the facility years ago, but once the pandemic hit, depression kicked in. 

“I started back drinking, doing drugs heavily. I burned a lot of bridges and I ended up getting arrested,” he said. 

He found himself back at the Mustard Seed Inn and that’s where he met Lawrence. 

“Where we fell short, we pick each other up, keep moving on. That’s the joy of this, and now with these renovations, it’ll even make it better,” said Wright.

In less than five months, Leadership St. Pete’s class of 2021 put more than $150,000 into upgrades. 

The outside patio is now a peaceful place to relax and reflect.

“It gives them someplace to relax, they have meetings out here. We think this will be a big improvement in their quality of life,” said Emily Nipps with Leadership St. Pete.

Inside there are new and comfortable additions to the community room and major upgrades to the computer lab.

“Somebody donated 100 laptops for them to use and those are for searching for jobs and integrating back into the real world,” Nipps said.

As for Darryl and Lawrence, they’re excited about a second chance.

“I thank God for the Mustard Seed. If it wasn’t for Mustard Seed, I’d be on the streets, I'd be in jail. That’s not me. That’s not what God put me on this Earth for, so I’m thankful,” said Lawrence.

“As it upgrades, I hope I can continue to upgrade right along with it,” Darryl said.

Darryl has been sober for three months and feels ready to take on the future. 

As part of the project, Leadership St. Pete also painted murals on the outside wall of the courtyard. 

The next upgrade is to install a pergola for shade on the patio.