“I am a new person since coming to Our House, and I’m never going back to who I was. I have to wake up every morning and reintroduce myself to myself.”
It wasn’t until late one night after being struck by a car that Paul could see it was time to turn his life around and leave behind dealing drugs. Paul’s accident landed him in two months of rehabilitation, and with no family and nowhere else to go, he was dropped off at Our House. Paul had many barriers to overcome, but he was ready to put his mind to the task. The Career Center set Paul up with bus passes, a new resume, and a phone, and though he job searched open to close, Paul’s background hindered his applications. To help him get a history of positive work experience, Paul is participating in our 9-month job training program. Paul works in the guard shack, and as the first person that new residents interact with, he tries to be the example. “I see people coming in from the same situation I was in, and they have a lot of anger, “ Paul says. “I try to steer them in the right direction, and it’s nice to be able to do that for someone else.”
Because he was thriving with all of his responsibilities, Paul was approved in a short amount of time to transition into the Family House which provides more privacy and more responsibility to our residents. Paul never thought he would even have a bank account, but with his new steady income he is excelling in his savings. Paul loves staying busy taking classes in the Career Center, and he would love to get every certification possible, especially in culinary arts!
With the help of counseling sessions from our Mental Health team, Paul barely recognizes himself sometimes—giving up drugs, drinking, cussing, and finding his faith again. Paul also took anger management classes and utilizes the ARcare clinic in the Career Center to keep up on both his mental and physical health.
Paul knows that there is more self improvement he wants to do before moving out on his own, and he’ll know when the time is right. “The old me used to put people down and now I’m lifting people up. I’m going to work hard for the rest of my life, and retire happy.”