Stephen Knight, who provides foster homes for dogs while their owners seek addiction treatment, is CNNs Hero of the Year | National & World [Video]

(CNN) — Stephen Knight, whose nonprofit saves lives by providing foster care for dogs while their owners focus on addiction recovery, is the 2024 CNN Hero of the Year.

Online voters selected him from this year’s Top 5 CNN Heroes.

“This means everything. I represent so much here. I represent the recovery community. The dog rescue community. … This is going to be able to take us to the next level.”

Knight’s journey began in 2011, when at the age of 51, he had lost everything to meth addiction – his family, his job, his home, and nearly his life. HIV positive, and living out of his car, Knight entered rehab at the behest of his mother.

After months of treatment, and at a delicate time in his recovery, Knight’s life changed when a friend showed up at his door in tears. She had relapsed, and in her arms was her beloved dog, Jayde. Knight’s …