Joseph's Journey

With the help of True North Housing Alliance, Joseph was able to regain stability and take responsibility for his health. When he and his wife split up, he found it difficult to move on. He turned to alcohol and eventually lost his home.

Joseph ended up moving around a lot, and experienced homelessness for nearly two decades. He could never find the resources he needed to find his path home.

“I thought I had the American dream—my wife, my kids, the white picket fence, walking my dog, then all of the sudden—boom, it was gone. My mind is still set on my boys and my wife. It hurts,” he said. “I’d hold on as long as I could, but when these feelings came back, I’d move again.”

Experiencing homelessness for so long took a toll on his physical health. Last summer, Joseph’s right foot and part of his right leg were amputated. He has diabetes, and his condition was exacerbated while he was homeless. He contracted a severe bacterial infection and amputation was the only option.

Joseph first entered True North Housing Alliance’s programs by staying at the Torres Community Shelter last winter. With the help of True North’s staff, he made great progress. He has attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, gotten prescription glasses and undergone physical rehabilitation.

He moved into one of True North’s permanent supportive homes earlier this year. Community partnerships and outside-the-box thinking made Joseph’s tenancy possible. With the support of Butte County Adult Protective Services and the nonprofit organization Passages, True North enlisted the help of Whelchel Construction to install an ADA-accessible ramp. The ramp was completely paid for using a combination of eligible grant and funding sources from Adult Protective Services and Passages.

Lilith Iversen, Supervising Care Manager for the Care Management Department at Passages, said it was a supportive, uplifting team effort.

“When we all put our heads together, we find the path to bring all these different resources together to help the client,” she said.

Joseph said that he knows True North’s team genuinely cares about him, and it’s made all the difference in his journey.

“I understand what this opportunity means for me to be independent and more responsible,” he said. “It’s serenity, what’s happening right now, it’s answering a prayer. True North is very caring. A lot of people don’t understand what that does—that spirit is really strong, and then you start to change your life.”

Kyle Whelchel (center), owner of Whelchel Construction, and his employees Jonathan and Alejandro install an ADA ramp at one of True North’s permanent supportive homes.