“Homelessness Is a Hard Thing”

Life was humming along just fine for Antywone. He had a good job, a happy marriage and a good family life. He’d never done drugs of any kind, and he pretty much stayed on the straight and narrow.

But then, three years ago, everything changed when his wife died. He fell into depression and turned to drugs to cope with the pain. He was 51.

“It’s been a rollercoaster ever since,” he says.

Antywone’s drug use led to a job loss, which led to him losing his home, living on the streets, sleeping wherever he could, scrounging to make ends meet while trying to sustain his drug habit.

“Homelessness is a hard thing,” says Antywone. “It’s hard not knowing where I’m going to lay down my head at night.”

Many nights, he’d sleep in an abandoned house, alone, not knowing where he’d find his next meal … or his next fix. He never knew what the next day would bring … or even if he’d see the next morning.

One winter, things got so cold that Antywone experienced a case of frostbite. He lost half of his right foot and the big toe on his left foot. He spent five months in rehab, learning to walk again; he now uses a cane.

When he completed rehab, he didn’t want to go back to the streets, or to his drug use. So he came to MorningStar for help. “And the rest,” says Antywone, “was history.”

Antywone says he was a little nervous when he first arrived at the Mission, unsure of whether he could stick with the program. “But I adjusted,” he says. His time at the Mission and in the 180 Recovery Program has given him clarity. “I’m able to think properly. It’s pushing me in the right direction, giving me motivation. I’m starting to find myself again,” he says.

Still, he’s wrestling with health issues, and not just with his feet. He’s had three heart attacks and has high blood pressure. MorningStar is helping him focus on better health, and the Mission helped him obtain disability income.

Best of all, the Mission has helped him patch up some family relationships which had been broken by his addictions. “Trust is being restored,” he says.

“Without the Mission, I don’t think I’d still be around,” Antywone says. “But now, my outcome of life is looking good.”

Thank you for everything you do to help people find new life this Easter season!