VISTA -- No caps and gowns were needed Thursday night to celebrate the achievements of seven graduates from North County Solutions for Change, who had taken the steps necessary to go from homelessness to living normal lives.

Jesus Garcia said he spent years of doing drugs and "gang banging" before he knew he needed to change for his family.

Garcia completed a drug rehab program before entering Solutions for Change, which he said provided services and housing for his family while he tried to "get back on (his) feet."

Garcia said he has been sober for two years, he has a residence and job, and is living a substance-free life, which are all requirements to graduate. It was difficult to change, he said, but "I just put one foot in front of the other."

Executive Director Chris Megison said during his speech that each graduate wanted a better life and took the difficult steps to achieve it.

"They all had the determination to change; not only for themselves, but for their kids," he said.

Megison said he and his wife founded the Vista-based Solutions for Change in 1999 to address family homelessness in North County. The organization provides housing and other services to homeless families with children.

"We keep telling them, 'You are worth it,' " Megison said.

He said each of the graduates has worked hard to overcome struggles with drugs, alcohol or abuse. Most importantly, he said, they realize they have the tools necessary to sustain better lives.

"There was a point where we could see that you could taste it," he reminded the graduates. "Once you got to that point, it's like nothing could stop you."

When she first entered Solutions for Change's program, Kortni Muser told the guests, she "felt like everything was going to be OK."

Muser has been married to Garcia for nine years. The couple and their four children moved into the organization's housing in August 2006 after each had completed rehab.

Now, she said, she has been "clean" for more than two years and her children have attended the same school for more than a year, which was a first for them.

Although she struggled at times, Muser said, the organization ultimately "showed me how to save my own life."

"I am a different person," she said. "I now have the tools to live."

Another graduate, Lena Ballaro, said the program prepared her for a better life.

She said she lived through a cycle of abusive relationships until "finally, I reached the point where enough was enough."

When she got involved with Solutions for Change in fall of 2005, she said "for the first time in my life I felt safe."

Two years later, Ballaro said she has worked hard to not only become a dental assistant, but to live an overall happier life.

"Once the healing began, I was able to set and meet goals," she said.