Before Michael came to Goodwill, his life felt messy and out of control. On the outside, it looked like he was doing okay, but inside he felt lost. He didn’t have direction, and every day felt stressful and unstable.
Things began to change when Michael started getting help to manage his money from the Representative Payee Services at Goodwill. He has been a payee client since 2015, and along the way has faced many difficulties, but he has always tried his hardest to improve himself.
In the past year, he has made amazing progress. His new goals are to find a job and a new apartment. He got approved for housing and signed up for Goodwill’s employment and housing programs, so he is receiving a full round of services from Goodwill.
He was also given a scholarship from Goodwill that provided him with an electric bike. This was life‑changing for Michael. He usually walked everywhere or rode an old bike, which made it hard to get around, especially in a town like his with steep hills and very little public transportation.
The electric bike made his days much easier. Michael no longer had to rely on the bus or ask friends for rides. He could get to his appointments and classes on his own. He even used the bike to get to the hospital when he was sick and couldn’t walk. Before the bike, going to several appointments in a single day would leave him exhausted. Now he could save his energy for things that mattered, like going to the gym.