When we met Josh,
I was standing in the lobby of a building that houses about 100 men that are in transition. The men in this facility have either been homeless, living on the street, or recently released from prison and have nowhere else to go. While standing there I was approached by a young guy named Josh. He said that he knew who I was from a few guys that I had gotten housing for there, he went on to explain that he was looking for a part time job and heard that we helped men with those types of things.
Josh had been living in the transitional housing for about 6 months and was on the verge of being kicked out due to not having enough money to pay his rent. He explained to me how, when he was younger, he went to live with his grandmother due to his parents’ ongoing drug issues. He shared that his grandmother had raised him and how special she was to him, but that she had passed away about 5 years ago and how hard that had been on him.
Fighting addiction, bipolar and anxiety issues
Josh had been diagnosed several years ago with bipolar and anxiety issues which made living day to day sometimes a real struggle. During this time, he also struggled with addictions to drugs and alcohol. He has been through so much in his life but had also continued to never give up. This past Christmas Eve marked 11 years sober for him which is truly an amazing accomplishment and one he is and should be very proud of. With the help of his medication and continued education he has been able to control and live with his bipolar and anxiety issues.
Josh finds his way forward
Josh has had a history of working in the restaurant business and was looking to find a place that would be a good fit for him. We were able to connect him to a great family run restaurant in East Grand Rapids called Big Bobs Pizza. Josh was hired there this past December and it has been an amazing fit. Josh is a dedicated worker and loves the people he is working with. It always brings a smile to my face when the other staff at Big Bobs share with me how much they appreciate Josh’s hard work and great attitude. It is exciting to talk with Josh as he expresses how he feels about his accomplishments and his focus on continued success for his future. It is such a pleasure to have him as our friend!
