As an Army veteran, Richard was used to providing for himself and helping others. A family man, Richard owned a trucking business with his father, hauling loads across Northern California. That all changed in 2013, when the slow creeping economic crisis reached Richard and his family. Losing the trucking business, meant that Richard was not only losing his source of income, but also his sense of purpose in the world.
Feeling like he was left with few options, Richard turned drugs: first selling and then using. This life eventually caught up with him, and he was eventually arrested. A turning point in his life, Richard was lucky to have a Judge that saw not a criminal, but a homeless veteran in need of help. The judge presented Richard with a choice: go to jail or enter into a rehab facility specifically for veterans.
Richard decided it was time to get clean and turn his life around. Over the course of his treatment, Richard was put in contact the Veterans Affairs Department (VA), where he learned that as an Army veteran he was eligible for housing assistance. His case worker told him about a new housing community opening in downtown Sacramento, Jamboree’s Hotel Berry.
The newly renovated, historic hotel was converted to serve homeless individuals and veterans, and the years long project demonstrated both the City of Sacramento and Jamboree to affordable housing. After adjusting to life at Hotel Berry, Richard began getting back into the thing he missed most: helping people. As a leader of our food distribution programs, Richard wakes up early every week to help arrange and set up food distribution for fellow Hotel Berry residents. He says that helping out with the food program makes him feel like he has a purpose again, and is able to be a productive community member at Hotel Berry.
Richard says that as he looks back he’s grateful for the challenges he’s had to overcome, believing those challenges make him more grateful for what he has now: a home that is safe and secure, with supportive services that “have undoubtedly extended my life".