A Second Chance At Life

Four years ago, Glenn fell very ill and had to undergo a major heart transplant and bypass. The path to recovery wasn’t easy. He had to go through substantial rehabilitation and physical therapy at a convalescent home, and the surgery left him with significant medical bills.

The expenses were so great that Glenn could no longer afford housing. When he was discharged from the convalescent home, he didn’t have his own home to return to.

“Everything crashed in my life,” he said. “You could have everything one day and then wake up the next and it’s gone.”

Glenn was able to stay at a local motel for about a month. Then he turned to our Torres Community Shelter for help in late 2019. That’s when his path forward finally became clear.

Our team helped Glenn move into a motel room via the state’s Project Roomkey program in early 2020 in order to help him shelter in place and stay safe during the pandemic.

Glenn still had a long road ahead of him, but this time, he wasn’t alone. Our team was there to help guide him forward and give him the resources and support he needed. He and his True North case manager Lisa worked diligently to overcome barriers to his stability and success. They secured Social Security benefits. They secured a section 8 housing voucher. They filled out application after application to find him an affordable place that was also ADA compliant. (Glenn lost a leg due to complications from diabetes and uses a walker.)

It was a long, challenging process, but the work paid off—last month, we heard the great news. Glenn had a place to call home!

Glenn took a moment during his momentous move in to share his thoughts on his long journey. It’s hard to know where the road will go, but he has hope for what’s to come.

“I am grateful and I am very happy here,” he said. “I got a second chance at life.”