It all started at a gas station...
I met Mike sitting next to a gas station while I was filling my car up. I had noticed him before asking for help on the street corner and sitting on the bus stop bench. I had stopped at the corner gas station to fill my car up and noticed him sitting there. I went and introduced myself to him which started our friendship. After that day I would make it a point to stop and talk with him a couple times each week for a period of a few months. As I got to know Mike, I discovered that he was living behind a commercial building in a little cubby where he could sneak through the fence. He shared with me that he became homeless after losing his job which led to being evicted from his apartment and losing his car for nonpayment.
Mike and I started to talk about the possibilities of finding housing, a job, and ultimately getting back on his feet. He shared with me that he had burned some bridges in the past and didn’t have a support system to help. Together, we came up with a plan to move forward and were all ready to go. Mike then took a huge step forward. He shared with me that he had a heroin addiction that he desperately wanted to fix and understood if we were not willing to continue to help him with his journey because of not being fully honest with me. Without my prompting Mike had already taken steps to get into treatment and tackle his addiction. I shared with him that if he made a commitment to get better than we are still committed to helping, and we went to work.
Getting Mike off the streets
We were able to get Mike off the streets and into transitional housing 7 months ago. He now wakes up every morning in a warm bed, can take a hot shower, and has plenty of food to eat whenever he chooses. Mike has put in a lot of hard work and has been clean and off heroin for almost 5 months. Now instead of standing on a street corner asking for help he is excited about having just been hired for a new job. He starts the second week of March. Mike and I still see each other every week and talk about life and what the future looks like for him. We never want to forget the past and the lessons learned, but more importantly to look at what lies ahead.
Please keep Mike in your thoughts and prayers as he is walking his Path and that it will continue to be fully Restored!
