Jerry Faces His Challenges, Overcomes and Gives Back
In 2020, Jerry found himself struggling with drug addiction and became homeless for three months. He visited the Veterans Coming Home Center during the daytime hours, and he spent his nights at various cold weather shelters in Springfield. This was his daily routine until he entered our program here at The Salvation Army Harbor House where he felt safe and welcomed.
While in our program, Jerry met with his case manager to develop a plan to help him on his path of recovery, which included setting both short-and long-term goals. One of the first goals he accomplished was to get his wallet, birth certificate and social security card back into his possession so that he could apply for employment.
Soon he started attending weekly NA (Narcotics Anonymous) meetings and started volunteering his time with local community partners such as Crosslines and NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness).
Recently he enrolled at Ozarks Community Technical College and registered to take Biology, Intro to Social Work, and Navigating College courses for the Fall of 2021. He also applied for scholarships to help limit his need for Student Loans and has written several excellent letters to various scholarship programs.
Within the last few months, Jerry has taken the necessary steps to become a licensed Peer Specialist. He has also been certified by NAMI to lead groups within their facility and he currently interns for them as a call taker for their crisis line.
Jerry was determined to move forward; within a few weeks of entering the program, he was able to find employment at our Thrift Store where he remains employed today.
In May, Jerry enrolled in a Discipleship course at his church then made his decision to be baptized, surrounded by his friends and family!
In addition to all the great things Jerry was accomplishing, he graduated from the Harbor House this past June. He had successfully addressed his goals, found stable employment at our Thrift Store, obtained stable housing, and got the help he needed to overcome his addiction.
While recently talking with Jerry he had this to say, “If you are willing to put in the work, recovery is possible. We are all worth it. Everyone should have self-worth no matter your background. Your past shouldn’t dictate who you are as a person”.
The entire Salvation Army family is so proud of Jerry and all that he has accomplished! We appreciate his efforts and his leadership within the Harbor House while there, and we look forward with much prayer and excitement to what God has in store for Jerry.
Check out Jerry's video story here:
If you would like to help more individuals like Jerry, please visit our donation page at: https://donate.stlsalvationarmy.org/campaign/serving-our-community-in-springfield-mo-since-1890/c336369