Bravery After Adversity
“I was standing on 7th floor on the parking ramp ready to jump. I was ready to give up. I decided that I am done with this life.” These are the words of Paul Wrath (client of Salvation Army – Fox Cities). Back in June 2018, he had been out on the streets of Appleton crying all the time, sleeping in the parking ramps, hanging out with people he should not have, and would spend his mental disability money thoughtlessly. It was that warm day in June 2018 that he decided to make a phone call right before he was about to jump. That phone call saved his life. His journey, however, starts well before a year and a half ago.
In 1962, Paul was born to an alcoholic family and had an abusive father growing up. Both Paul and his sister were badly abused by his father. At age 10, he got into a lot of trouble, like steeling bikes and pulling the fire extinguisher and running away with his friends. That was enough for his mom to bring him to the juvenile delinquent center. “She said take him, I can’t handle him.” The judge of the juvenile court placed him in an institution for “unwanted/neglected children". He was there for four years. The medications they gave him resulted in horrible side effects. He remembers being in a little room without a mattress where they would put him in for days and days. Through tears, Paul said, “it was rough”.
By age of 16, he tried to reconnect with his mom but there was a lot of animosity and they did not get along. He then went to multiple group homes from ages 16 to 18.
Paul was then diagnosed with schizophrenia, PTSD, bipolar 1, and anxiety disorder. Suffering from his disabilities, it was causing him issues that he was not able to recognize, which left him in and out of homelessness and shelters. When he was hungry, he would come to The Salvation Army's noon lunch program for a free nutritious meal, which is served Monday – Sunday. It took from 2010 until 2018 to find the right combination of medications that work for him.
He was on the waiting list for transitional housing through Salvation Army. He received a call letting him know that Salvation Army had an apartment for him. He stayed in the apartment from November 2018 through March 2019. Paul is grateful for Sgt. Enriquez from the Appleton Police Department who worked with the city Attorney so that he could get permanent housing. As long as he was in compliance with Appleton Police Department and The Salvation Army, they were able to help get him in front of the judge to work with him to get permanent housing. He now has an apartment through Outagamie Housing.
While at the apartment through Salvation Army, Paul worked with our Case Managers, Gina and Joe. “They embraced me when I needed them the most” said Paul. He explains some of his time at Salvation Army, “there is a coffee club every Monday where we did things that were therapeutic – paintings, trivia. They gave me a gift; I had never received a gift from anyone. That touched me. I did case management with Gina and Joe. They worked with me on my budget, to keep a journal of things to accomplish, and a calendar to keep track of appointments. Now I put things in my phone or on my calendar, I never did that before!”
Paul continues, “even though I am in an apartment now, I need to get out and not be isolated. The Salvation Army is a place for me to go where I am accepted and am welcomed, so I still go to coffee club. I also head over to the resource center at Pillars.”
Paul is brave to share his story after all the adversities that he went through, and he wants to share the following on the Mental Health Stigma:
“It takes bravery to talk about Mental Health, and people who have it are most likely embarrassed. People with a Mental Health issue know they need help but are not willing to accept it. They don’t want to talk about it. They have an attitude that they can do it on their own. But, they can’t do it on their own. They just can’t.”