how you helped Alex get back on his feet
Alex was just becoming an adult when the pandemic hit and upended his life in just a few days. When the stay at home orders went into effect, he was let go from his job at Verizon. “Everyone felt what I felt at the time. All the uncertainty and instability. I thought I would get through it, and some people did. But I didn’t, I got knocked down so hard I couldn’t get back up.”
Luckily, Alex was very careful with his money and had saved for a rainy day, giving him time to search for a new job. But after a couple months of paying rent, a car payment, and all of his other living expenses without finding work, Alex’s savings were finally exhausted.
“I kept thinking I could make it work, but eventually it all blew up. I mean I did everything right, and yet nothing worked out for me. There just weren’t a lot of resources for a normal guy who was down on his luck.”
“I kept thinking I could make it work, but eventually it all blew up. There just weren’t a lot of resources for a normal guy who was down on his luck.”
After over a year of trying to catch up on bills, Alex had his car repossessed, making it almost impossible to keep employment . Shortly after that, he was kicked out of his apartment and had to fit all of his possessions into just a few backpacks. He got by for a few days, but then things got worse.
“While I was sleeping, someone stole all my clothes, my birth certificate and license, my phone, my wallet, everything I needed to just be a person, to do anything. Suddenly I couldn’t prove who I was. I couldn’t call my family. I felt so alone.”
After this, Alex felt utterly hopeless. He had no way to contact his family or even search for resources that might help him. He ended up finding refuge behind some bushes at a church, where he stayed for several weeks.
“At that point, I was just happy to have access to running water and I found a plug that worked. I really felt like I would never recover from everything, that there was no point, so I figured I would just stay there.”
Eventually, a police officer found Alex and asked him if he needed help. Seeing how troubled Alex was, the officer connected Alex to A New Leaf’s homelessness services and drove him to a resource center where he could get help. “That police officer saved my life. I was at the end of my rope at that point – I mean I hadn’t eaten in days, I hadn’t had a drink of water in over 24 hours. I don’t know where I would be if he wasn’t kind enough to help me.”
Alex was then placed into A New Leaf’s East Valley Men’s Center, where he would be given 3 months to find work, get back on his feet, and save for an apartment. He would have a bed, showers, and 3 meals a day.
“Being homeless is something I never want to experience again, and with everything I learned from this, and all the support I am getting, I don’t think I will be.”
“I was assigned a case manager and he’s helped me alot. I have plans for once I leave here, and I’ll definitely be okay now. Being homeless is something I never want to experience again, and with everything I learned from this, and all the support I am getting, I don’t think I will be.”
After a month, Alex has found work, has started saving, and feels ready to get back on his feet again. He is using his time at the Men’s Center to recover and come out of his experience with homelessness a stronger person.
“This is just such a great opportunity to save for an apartment, get my life back in order, and be a functioning person again, you know? It’s really been a blessing, and I couldn’t have done it without this place. Thank you so much to everyone that supports programs like these. I never thought I would need this, and you probably think that for yourself too, but it saved my life. It might save yours one day too.”
