Ted’s Story | Homelessness Intervention

“CRC saved my life. I’m very grateful and I’m really happy I found the CRC. I got my family back. My whole life is different.” – Ted

Ted recently moved into his own home after being homeless for nine months. Ted first came to Community Resource Center for food assistance and worked with CRC to obtain stable housing.

Motivated by his 12-year-old son, Ted strived to create a brighter future for his family. Ted once owned a two-story home with his family and had a full-time job as a sales manager at a phone company, where he worked for eight years. Sadly, in 2017, Ted lost his job and had trouble getting back on his feet. He lost his home and entered into a rehab program.

Ted moved into his van, sleeping on the metal floor while participating in a 12-Step Program. During this time, Ted says he never missed a child support payment and worked hard to put his life back together and stay sober. Ted says, “Even though I lived in a van, my shoes were shined, I showered at the gym, my van was always washed. I was trained and meditating to get out of the situation.”

Ted first came to Community Resource Center in 2020 because he needed food. “My biggest expense at the time was food; it was so expensive to buy three meals a day,” he says. Ted received food at CRC’s Food & Nutrition Center and also learned about the rental assistance program. At this time, he wasn’t sure if he would be able to afford to have a home again.

Three months later, Ted was in a meeting at his 12-Step Program and someone asked the question: “Are you satisfied? Are you grateful? Are you humble?” Ted says he realized he wasn’t satisfied. It had been nine months since he’d been able to spend quality time at home with his 12-year-old son, and he wanted to do something to change that.

Ted met with Chad, a CRC case manager, to see if he could qualify for rental assistance through the Rapid Re-housing Program. Ted reached out to his program to see if anyone had a room available, and the next day, a woman called with a room available. Ted sent the information over to Chad, who helped him receive help for the deposit and rental assistance. Within a week and a half, Ted was in a home again.

Ted says, “When I had that two-story house, I didn’t appreciate any of it. But when I moved into this house after living in a van, I remember taking a shower at home for the first time in over a year and I had this new sense of gratitude. I can’t believe how lucky I am. I have this new feeling of happiness.”

The first night at his new apartment, Ted had his son over for dinner. He says, “We rented a movie, I showed him how to barbeque chicken. It was amazing.”

Ted is happy to have a safe home for him and his son to call home. He says, “CRC saved my life. I’m very grateful and I’m really happy I found the CRC. I got my family back. My whole life is different.”