George had his own pet store in Oklahoma, but things were not going well as a result of losing business to larger stores. George became disillusioned and started using drugs. He was a self-described "crack head" from 1999-2011. He ended up in Louisiana working in restaurants for awhile, and was in and out of jail. He lost his family and had to resort to staying in shelters.
George came to Lima and stayed in our overnight shelter for several months. He didn't have a regular income and couldn't work due to an injury. He got along with everyone here, but we eventually put a limit on his stay because we could see no change in his situation; we wanted him to pursue resources to help find more suitable housing. Usually setting a deadline helps motivate people who may otherwise be languishing in our overnight shelter.
He ended up moving on and stayed at other missions around the country. He kept in touch once in awhile and let us know how bad his situation was. Unfortunately he wasn't able to find a good place to settle down. George wanted to come back to Lima; he told us he liked how he was treated at the Mission more than any other place he had been. He asked for assistance making contacts for other help he needed.
After a bit more time in our overnight shelter, George was able to secure a small income; it was enough for him to move into one of our rooms for low-income individuals. Though he was still dealing with pain, he said he was the happiest he'd been in 18 years.
Thankfully, George has been feeling better, with the pain he's been experiencing for years finally improving. When we had an opening for a part-time position to help with kitchen and janitorial work, we asked George if he would be interested. He happily took the job and has been doing very well.
George hopes to spend more time healing and wants to return to full-time work again, getting back out on his own. He has been a blessing to us and we have high hopes for him. He reminds us of the old gospel song that says, "I'm not what I want to be and I'm not what I'm gonna be, but thank God I'm not what I was."