Steve: Giving People Hope

As Steve lay on his back one night in a South Bay homeless encampment, he knew he'd hit rock bottom. After years of battling addiction and homelessness, he stared at the stars in the dark sky and prayed for the strength to turn around his troubled life. Just a few months later, authorities closed the encampment and Steve, committed more than ever to improving himself, joined a drug treatment program.

"When I started the program, they told me it was the beginning of the rest of my life," Steve said. "And they were right."

He completed the program in 2014, when he was referred to Abode, which provided him housing and social services. He now lives at one of Abode's San Jose housing sites and has been sober for nearly four years.

Abode uses the Housing First approach to ending homelessness, which finds that once people gain stability from having a roof over their heads, the services that follow are much more effective. Steve says his positive experience is proof that strategy works.

"Abode keeps me stable," he said. "They're always there for any questions I have about my health or well-being."

Steve praises Abode employees for helping him find basics like food and clothing. They've also provided assistance with more complicated issues, such as questions about his rent. "It's important to remember that you don't have to do it all on your own," he said. "Whenever I didn't have counseling in my life, I didn't always make the best decisions."

Now that Steve has stable, secure housing, he's focusing on his future goals. He has been giving speeches at college campuses and nonprofit groups, sharing his life story and giving advice to young people.

He hopes one day to work for a charity or social services agency to help homeless people find the resources they need.

"I want to help kids avoid a negative lifestyle and I want my peers to get the help they need," Steve said.