"I made it out with the help of Bridge House"

“I almost died on the street and there are only two reasons I made it off the street, my determination to change my life and the opportunity the Ready to Work program gave me.”

“Before I joined the Ready to Work program I was a drunk.  I was homeless sleeping outside even in the dead of winter. I started drinking when I woke up until I passed out at night. I was the first one at the liquor store when it opened every morning. I tried to stop drinking on my own many times but I would get so sick I had to drink to feel normal. I drank and did drugs. I scraped together money for my booze and food by working odd jobs and pan handling.”

“In and out of prison and I didn’t see a way out of my misery.”

“Finally after 20 years of living on the street I had enough and when I heard about the Ready to Work program I thought this was my chance to get finally get off the street.”

“I went to the Resource Center and I saw Dee Dee a case manager. She could tell I was drunk, but she said if I could get sober for 60 days I would be able to enter the Ready to Work program. I went to detox that day because I knew if I didn’t go right then I would never go. Detox was hell. It was so hard that I wanted to leave rehab so many times but I didn’t. I knew deep down that this was my only way out.”

“Once I began the Ready to Work program I felt like I was part of a team. We were all working hard to change our lives.”

“This program gave me my dignity back. I was finally free and the Ready to Work case managers, Isabel and Widd were there for me every step of the way I had a whole team rooting for me to succeed and that felt good.”

Now I am employed at the Community Table Kitchen and I am really close to finding my own place to live. No of this would have happened if I hadn’t found the Ready to Work program. I needed support to change my life and Ready to Work was there for me when I needed it most.”