Christopher was enjoying life working at and living on a farm, and then one day the farm was sold. He had no place to go, the farm was his home. Camping became his only option, but that was scary. Soon he decided to try out living in a shelter, and that worked out for a few months. But then the shelter closed. It was at this time he came to Goodwill’s Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) for help, because Christopher is a veteran.
When he joined the SSVF housing program he had nothing. Goodwill was able to help him find a place to live for the first time since the farm where he lived was sold. Not only did he now have housing, but he also got bus passes to help him travel around town looking for work. Not long after he found a job.
That isn’t all – SSVF gave him household items like furniture, and a TV with an antenna so he could watch his favorite shows after a long day of work. Soon after he also got help paying for his utilities, so he didn’t have to worry much about bills while he got used to working again. He was so grateful for all the help he was receiving, he said, “Nobody has ever helped me like this before. SSVF even helped me save money.”
Once he had been working for a while and had saved money, he started paying for some of his rent on his own. Then his case manager moved him into a different program in SSVF to see if he could get long term rental assistance. And he did!
Christopher now lives independently and will have rental assistance for a very long time. That means he won’t need any more help from SSVF. But he said that without the help he got from SSVF he doesn’t know where he would be.
“Without Goodwill’s SSVF, my life would be cold and lonely. I would be out in the cold with nobody there,” he said. “I would encourage anyone else to go to Goodwill if they have the opportunity. I’m in great shape now because of SSVF!”