The story of one man’s journey through Good Sam’s Housing Programs.
Journeys through homelessness aren’t always what you’d expect. Often times it’s one unfortunate circumstance that leads to a downward spiral. The loss of a job, a sick child, or an accident in the workplace. Sometimes it’s as simple as broken relationships. Often times we see these situations from the outside and find it hard to empathize.
As Steven says, “You feel bad for that guy, but one day you find it’s you.”
Steven
Steven came to Good Samaritan Services a few years ago after a dramatic upheaval of living arrangements. For months he was living with a friend, splitting bills and paying his roommate directly for rent and utilities as many individuals often do. Suddenly, on a cold night in December, Steven was notified that law enforcement was at his home and he was no longer allowed to live there. It turns out that his roommate had misused Steven’s rent and utility payments. The apartment he had been staying in had not been paid for in over 4 months. And without warning, Steven had no home.
Still maintaining employment, Steven was able to rent a hotel room for an extended period of time, but it didn’t take long for those bills to rack up. Hotels are expensive! With his expenses quickly outpacing his income, he needed to find an alternative. After a few weeks of helping Steve as much as she could, his mother told him to call Good Sam. We’re so glad he did.
Emergency Shelter
Our Resource Specialist was able to get Steve into one of our Emergency shelters immediately. It turned out he knew his case manager from earlier in his life! This made Steven feel safe. Once he met the rest of the staff, he was even more at ease. After just a few weeks, Steven was able to save up enough money to move into our Transitional Housing Program. There was an opening, and Steven was eager to take it!
Residential Housing (Transitional)
In our Transitional Housing program, Steven felt himself stretch and grow. When Steven joined us, he did not have his driver’s license and his credit was in poor shape. Good Sam was able to come alongside him with resources such as our Case Management and Microloan program to help him back to stability. He worked diligently with his caseworker to get his license back, and is currently a legal driver! He also took advantage of our Matched Savings program, saving $600.00 in just a few months. We were then able to match that, making it $1,200 in total!
Housing Support Services
Having a reliable car and stable income, Steven was ready to move on from our Residental Housing to his own independent living situation. The only struggle was finding the giant payment of a security deposit, on top of first and last month’s rent. We were able to set Steve up with our Family Resource Coordinators (FRCs) at our Housing Support Services office in Coatesville. With a little of their help, additional budget planning, and some rental assistance, Steve was able to get into his own apartment! Good Sam helped with the initial rental fees, and Steve has been paying on his own (IN FULL!) ever since.
Independent Living
Not only is Steve in his own apartment, as of early this month he paid off his microloan! His credit score has increased over 200 points, and Steve is thriving on his own. “ I love the freedom that comes with being in an independent living situation,” he said. He works full time as a maintenance technician at a hotel in addition to holding another full-time job. In addition to working, he coaches track for one of his daughters’ high school. Steve stays busy, and he likes it that way. He still connects with our FRCs every now and again, but Steve is living a stable and independent life, and we couldn’t be prouder.
Here is what Steve has to say about Good Sam:
“It’s a great program. If you’re willing for them to help you then let ‘em help you. Without you letting them help, you won’t get help. A lot of men’s pride gets in the way, but they need help and I tell them to let them [Good Sam] help you better yourself. You want that good job. You want your own place. Ask for help, and they [Good Sam] will give it to you.”
