Please give me just a minute because I would like to tell you about me and the Home. I was born and raised right here in D.C. and, when I was younger, I served in the military. Probably one of the greatest things I ever did in my life was to help build the D.C. Metro subway system. What a great experience that was! But then I began getting sick and was eventually told that I had multiple sclerosis. Each year, my illness got worse and I wound up homeless and living in a shelter, struggling just to survive.

Then in 2005, all of that began to change when I came to live here. First of all, I started getting the medical help that I needed to improve my health and eating three meals a day. Heck, I even began to get my favorite potato chips with my other snacks! I gained some weight and started to feel pretty good again. The staff here helped me get some new clothes and gave my hair and beard a good trim. Over time, I have come to realize that my physical problems and financial hardships don’t have to control me and that I really can live a full life again.

I’ve made a bunch of new friends and, I have to tell you, I don’t remember having laughed as much as I do here. I sit around with other football fans and root for the ‘Skins with a beer and a handful of pretzels. I can listen to some of the tunes from my day, hang in the garden with Marley (he’s the dog in the picture), eat jerk chicken on Caribbean Day, and spend time cutting up with the staff and other residents while getting therapy. You know, I can’t tell you where I would be today if I had not come here but what I can tell you is that I can’t imagine calling anyplace else home.