“Christopher Place Employment Academy turned my world upside down,” Alan says. “I’ve been living on the streets almost my whole life. I’ve seen people killed and raped and stuff no one should even see. It made me adopt an image of a person I’m not. Here, I’ve learned that I’m a gentle person who really cares and I can be that person.”
In just 12 months at Christopher Place (CP), Alan has accomplished a lot. He now has a driver’s license and a credit card. He says the process has been really intense and he’s worked hard, resolving many childhood issues. Several years have passed since his mother’s death and he was recently able to finally visit her grave and talk with her. After 14 years of separation, he’s back in his daughter’s life. Through the CP job placement program, Alan has had a regular job for 5 months and has already received one promotion. He credits the staff at CP with helping him get himself together to achieve all these things.
“Now I have people I can talk to about what’s on my mind. I have a stable life, a normal life. I have goals and I know I can make it. I don’t have to live on the street anymore,” Alan says.
When he completes the 18-month CP program, he plans to get his HVAC certification because he likes to solve problems and at CP, he’s learned to be good at it. He hopes to one day own his own HVAC business and employ others to give them a hand on the road back to normal lives.