Family Stories
"Before applying at Anawim Housing, I was living under a bridge, and I was begging for money on the freeway. I was addicted to meth-amphetamine, and alcohol. I was suffering from depression, and anxiety. When walking down the street, people would cross over to avoid me. When approaching an intersection, people would lock their car doors, when they saw me coming.
The Shelter Plus Care Program, gave me stable housing for the first time in many years. More than that, the program gave me a home. A home where I felt safe and secure. I no longer had to worry, if I would be rousted by the police, or attacked in my sleep. Having this security, enabled me, to begin to address the issues, which caused me to become homeless in the first place.
I went into treatment for my addictions. I began psychotherapy to address my mental illness. I got my GED and I went back to college. At school, I met the woman who would become my wife.
On September 23rd of this year, I will celebrate six years of recovery. The mental illness I once suffered, is practicially non-existent. I earned my Associates Degree in Human Services, and I am continuing my education to earn my Bachelors Degree in Social Work. Currently, I work at Central Iowa Shelter and Services, where i serve the very same population, that I was once a member of. In August of 2010, Lianne, and I bought our first home together.
In short, The Shelter Plus Care Program works. I could not have had the success that I have had, without Anawim's support in the beginning. There are may others out there like myself, who, if given a chance, can turn their lives around, and become functioning, contributing, members of their community."
