“No One Has Ever Asked Me About Housing Before.“

Written by Kip Barard, Program Director

In the nearly three years I have worked at the Harry Tompson Center, I saw the same sight at least once a week when arriving to work- Lester, one of our guests, would be sleeping behind St. Joseph’s Church. I would try to engage and talk to him whenever I could, but he was always too intoxicated to stand or engage in a meaningful conversation. When I would speak to him, he would use the wall to hold himself up and inevitably would slouch or stumble back down to the ground. He tended to sleep just about every day until around noon and then disappear, but then would reappear the next morning intoxicated once again. For years we repeated the same pattern, though he hardly ever came inside the Rebuild Center.

On April 4, I arrived at the Center for work and found Lester actually awake, standing and walking straight without the assistance of the wall. Amazed, my first thought was that I could finally have a coherent conversation with him, and hopefully he might even be interested in getting housed. I asked him if he had a minute to come with me into the HTC and talk. He agreed, and I was able to discuss housing options with him. He seemed a little surprised about the whole process. He told me, “No one has ever asked me about housing before.”

After a good bit of work, we were able to get him into a Permanent Supportive Housing unit at the UNITY-administered Sacred Heart Apartments where he has been living now for six weeks. And even more good news! His Case Manager informed me recently that Lester has done something amazing- he has been sober for 10 days in a row- all of his own accord. Lester decided to quit drinking after getting housed!