Pathways met Jonathan a little over a year ago when he first entered our Department of Corrections Housing First Program. He had found himself in a cycle of homelessness and incarceration that he wanted to stop. Over the last year, we have been privileged to watch Jon get on his feet and start to build a great future for himself. This is his story in his own words:
“[Pathways] basically gave me a foundation to start out with so I didn’t start out in a couch surfing situation. I had a lack of residency and then the drug thing would kick in, but I always have someone to talk to now which is cool. They call and ask, “How are you? Are you OK?” It’s good to have somebody when you need to talk to or someone to reach out to when you need to. Someone always calls to check in on me. I don’t deal with stressful situations well, but they helped me get focused so I could get a good job. I have a good job now at Positive Pie, I’m the assistant kitchen manager.
When I came here they gave me a bed and a microwave, the basic move-in stuff and I lived that way for a couple months. Now I’ve acquired stuff and am developing a life and long-term relationships.
This winter, I’m hoping to go back to school and finish my degree for social service. I want to do substance abuse counseling for teens and young adults …
I want to focus on eventually buying a home … I didn’t have a job for a long time and then had one and lost it and had depression issues. But now I have some stuff that I need to pay off, get my license back, but the next step is moving forward and … standing on my own two feet.”
-Jonathan in Barre who is part of our Department of Corrections Housing First Program