they often lose most if not all of their family connections and support by the time they are released.
“I didn’t have any family left. Everyone had passed away.”
Despite all of the loss Nathaniel had experienced, including the loss of his loved ones and childhood, he made the conscious decision to change his life for the better when he finally crossed the threshold back to freedom.
“I’m basically trying to get my life back together.”
Thanks to amazing givers of hope like you, Nathaniel found a fresh start and hope at Volunteers of America. After undergoing hip replacement surgery, he has referred in November 2022 to Hope Has A Home™ to continue his recovery journey. Through the program, men experiencing homelessness who are too sick to be on the streets receive a warm bed in a residential setting, onsite medical care, behavioral health services and support moving into homes of their own.
Working in collaboration with our Peer Pathways substance use recovery program, Nathaniel was able to fully recover from his surgery and has been sober for over a year.
“All my case managers are here, peer specialists and everything. Then we do recovery groups up here. It’s like good groups. I like that they have the same background that I got. They come from the streets here and they don’t judge. I let them know what’s going on with me and what I need and that’s what they do.”
Thanks to supporters like you who help to make these programs possible, Nathaniel is now in the process of moving into a home of his own.
“If you want help and need help, you’ve got to be real because help is here available in the program. There’s nothing that you can’t get. There’s nothing that VOA can’t get you. Whatever you need, they provide.”
July is Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. This important observance happens every year to bring awareness to the unique struggles that racial and ethnic minority communities face around mental illness in the United States. And we couldn’t think of a better way to acknowledge this month and the need for greater access to support than through Nathaniel’s transformative story.
To learn more about Hope Has A Home™ and how you can make a difference in the lives of men and women like Nathaniel, visit voachesapeake.org/hhah or click the button below.
