After going through every step of our program, Jason recently accepted a position on Good Sam Staff as a house manager. His story is one of perseverance and dedication.
Read it in his own words.
Hello, I’m Jason, JayB for short. I was born in California, moved to Denver, and then my family made it to Pennsylvania.
I was young, but observant. By the time I reached middle school, I had seen it all: family members high on weed, crack, and heroin, always drunk and loud. There were about 11 uncles/aunts and cousins living under one roof.
Some were hustlers. Others were addicts. I just knew one thing—I didn’t want to be like any of them.
As I got older, I loved going to school, playing with my friends, and staying out of trouble. Until one day, someone handed me a bottle. “Drink this, you’ll be ok,” they said.
I tried it and hated it. Yuck!
“Hey, smoke some weed,” they said. I tried it and liked it.
I was 16.
I started hanging out with the wrong crowds, thinking I was cool, smoking and drinking, going against everything my parents taught me.
By 19, I was engaged to a 25-year-old woman. While she was cheating on me and telling me she was pregnant, I was working hard trying to build a family and become a good father.
Turns out the child wasn’t mine.
Months passed, and it was hard to figure out how to get money. Jobs wouldn’t hire, and my urine was never clean. So I started selling drugs, off and on from 19 to 21, until one day in 2001, my fiancée came home from her job with a bank bag full of money stuffed in her pants. I pleaded with her to take it back, but she was too scared. So we argued, it got physical, and I snatched the empty bag and left so I had evidence…or so I thought.
Turns out she called the cops before I could get to a payphone, and they locked me up. I pleaded with my parents, telling them I didn’t do it, she’s blaming me! But it didn’t have any effect.
They told me to take a deal, so I did, knowing I didn’t do anything wrong. They gave me two 5 to 10s, running concurrently. I didn’t know what that meant at the time. I went in 2001—I didn’t come home until 2018. They railroaded me for a crime I didn’t commit, and I didn’t have anyone in my corner.
When I got out, more than half of my family had moved away. My grandmother, uncles, aunts, and mother had all passed away. I had nothing and nobody.
I started working as a truck driver, got a nice two-bedroom apartment, grabbed the newest Dodge Charger, and felt great.
Then a knock at the door.
They arrested me again because I didn’t give them my address after leaving the halfway house. I lost my place and my job.
I came back homeless.
I didn’t know what to do or who to talk to, so I dialed 211. They directed me to Good Samaritan Services, so I grabbed a truck with the last few bucks I saved and went to Good Sam.
They took me in with open arms. I felt safe.
I used every resource they had, followed every rule, and gave myself completely to God. Once I did, I found 3 jobs at the same time and worked all three! I then transferred into transitional housing, where Good Sam makes sure you have everything you need to succeed.
I took advantage of it. Thanks to the workshop’s Good Sam provided, I cut down to one job with great pay, and stayed on track.
I was asked to come back and be a house manager, and I accepted with a smile, glad to be a part of such an amazing, caring organization where they treat people like family. I’m now running my own house through Good Sam as a house manager and working at an awesome place.
I love that I feel loved once again, and my goal is to help anyone with anything that comes their way.
Good Sam helped me remember that I am a human being and there’s nothing better than having God’s hands on you 24/7.
Thank you, Good Sam, for helping me remember my worth.
—JayB
