My friend Troy lives under the freeway by my house - he is homeless by choice having fled an abusive relationship which involved drugs and alcohol abuse where he was physically and psychologically abused. He never regrets his decision to leave the security of "home" because he has been clean for 2 years and sober for 10 months.
Troy is a Navy veteran of the Gulf war. He runs a small recycling business that has kept him in clean clothes and food and he even employs other homeless people to help him push the carts when they are too heavy for one man, or guard the carts from theft if they were overloaded.
The recycling center he has used over the past 15 years closed in August so he pushes his carts 12 miles to Berkeley instead - something he can't do more than three times a week.
As a result, his goals recently changed. He wants a legitimate job, he wants a driver’s license, and he wants a place to live.
Troy is saving for a truck, so he will have a place to live as well as a way to transport recyclables and provide transportation to a job once he gets one. He has saved $1500 for the truck. He has a drivers permit and looks forward to taking his driving test. I’d like for Troy to have enough money to buy a modest / sturdy truck for shelter and to support his recycling work with some leftover funds for insurance.
Troy is a generous individual. I have known him to hire helpers and pay them more because they need the work than he needs their help. I’ve known him to decline a free meal in exchange for doing dishes in repayment. I’ve known him to share his dinner with someone when he only had $5 to spend on it himself. Troy is an outstanding individual.
Troy is a Navy veteran of the Gulf war. He runs a small recycling business that has kept him in clean clothes and food and he even employs other homeless people to help him push the carts when they are too heavy for one man, or guard the carts from theft if they were overloaded.
The recycling center he has used over the past 15 years closed in August so he pushes his carts 12 miles to Berkeley instead - something he can't do more than three times a week.
As a result, his goals recently changed. He wants a legitimate job, he wants a driver’s license, and he wants a place to live.
Troy is saving for a truck, so he will have a place to live as well as a way to transport recyclables and provide transportation to a job once he gets one. He has saved $1500 for the truck. He has a drivers permit and looks forward to taking his driving test. I’d like for Troy to have enough money to buy a modest / sturdy truck for shelter and to support his recycling work with some leftover funds for insurance.
Troy is a generous individual. I have known him to hire helpers and pay them more because they need the work than he needs their help. I’ve known him to decline a free meal in exchange for doing dishes in repayment. I’ve known him to share his dinner with someone when he only had $5 to spend on it himself. Troy is an outstanding individual.