If you had to describe Corey in one word, it would be resilient. A word echoed by the phrase printed on his sweatshirt and the determination in his eyes.
His story starts several years ago when he came home from the hospital after a spinal surgery, only to find all his belongings out on the curb. His wife had asked him to move out.
“It was a horrible day for me,” he said later.
The next couple of years went from bad to worse. A car accident. His daughter’s death. Financial instability. More surgeries. Corey even spent two months living in his car while finding a place to live.
Eventually, he moved back in with his wife and started going to school for diesel technology. But school, work, and trying to provide for his family, started wearing on him.
“I wasn’t thinking clearly,” he shared. “I didn’t have any set direction.”
After hitting rock bottom, Corey decided to leave the situation he was in and landed in Good Sam’s emergency housing.
“When I was so far off the deep end, I threw the e-brake on and said, ‘That’s not you, Corey,’” he explained.
Back on His Feet
At Good Sam, he found the refuge he needed to start taking steps toward stability.
Here, he’s found peace.
“You don’t hear gunshots in the middle of the night,” he shared, and that makes a difference in your mental health.
It’s like a “release of pressure off my brain,” he explained. “I feel relieved.”
He was able to finish school as a diesel technician, learn how to cope with type 1 diabetes, and take care of both his physical and mental health. And now he’s working on gaining financial stability so he can provide for himself and his kids.
People had let him down over and over again, and at Good Sam, Corey has discovered that people care.
Wars and Roses
As a testament to his story, Corey started a sweatshirt and T-shirt line called Wars and Roses—two words that describe his journey. It’s all about overcoming battles, just like he’s had to do over and over again.
“We all have these battles that we fight through with our own self-confidence, mental health, etc. … And we all have to fight to get through,” he said.
His battle started years ago on the curb outside his home when he faced homelessness for the first time. Now, he’s found the courage to hope again.
“Without this program, I might have gone back to the same toxic patterns,” he said. “I lost hope … [and] this program showed me that there are people out there who really care.”
You can help more people like Corey find the courage to hope again. Would you consider giving to support our program?
