I recently had the opportunity to meet some of the clients in our Transitions 2000 program. For those of you who don’t know about our transitions program, it is a program that provides transitional housing for homeless individuals and families in 6 counties of the upstate. Members of the program can stay for up to two years, and they receive financial support and intensive case management while they work towards self-sufficiency.
In Anderson, I met one man who was eager to tell me his life story, and he wanted me to pass it on in hopes that it would help someone else.
When he was 15 he began drinking, and this led him down a path of alcohol and drug abuse. He couldn’t see alcohol and drug use as the cause of his trials, yet he ended up homeless and bounced from halfway house to halfway house. He eventually landed a spot at the Salvation Army, and though he was still a young man, he made the decision to stay there until he died. He had given up on life. He had a part time job, and very two weeks he would get paid. He used that money to pay his rent at the Salvation Army, and spent the rest to rent a hotel room for the night and stay high until the money ran out. On August 22, 2010, he returned to the Salvation Army after one of his benders and was drug tested upon arriving. After this he was forced to leave the Salvation Army, and in his opinion this is when life hit rock bottom. The halfway house he went to after leaving the Salvation Army required him to go to 90 AA meting in 90 days.
This was the first time the program had worked for him since he had first completed the 12 steps in 1989. For the first time, his life was on track, but he was still homeless and when it was time to leave the halfway house, he was referred to the UHCSC. The transitions program has a waiting list, and staying on the waiting list requires a monthly check in call. He and his case worker laughed as they recalled that he called multiple times each month, even calling on holidays just to wish her a good day.
He finally was able to get an apartment with the program 2 months ago, shortly after receiving his one year chip from AA. He continues to go to daily AA meetings and is getting ready to become a sponsor, which is a big step in his soberity.
He told me he was looking for a job and could easily see himself ready to move into his own place at the end of his two years.
It is stories like this one that make it clear what our programs are doing. This man is hopeful, selfless, and succeeding. Isn’t that how every member of our society should be?
Your gifts affect men, women, and children who are looking for that hope. They are looking for a home. Give today.
