His “previous life” involved drugs, gang activity and several arrests, which ended up with him spending time in prison.  Once in prison he turned his life around and came out determined to make some changes.  He came to 40 Prado in February and was able to find an employer willing to see beyond his past.  He let staff know that he was working and wanted to save and get housed but that it would probably be hard given his history.  He was assigned to the 40 Prado case manager in April who helped him set up his savings account and maintain a realistic “pre-housed” budget.  He diligently saved – often saving more than the agreed upon amount.  Although several housing opportunities came up, he was turned down because of his history.  His case manager kept telling him to “never give up”, even when he would often feel like throwing in the towel.

The case manager connected with the SSVF staff and let them know if a roommate housing opportunity ever came along to let her know – and in September staff called to tell her that they had found a 2-bedroom for one of their participants and that perhaps her client could be the roommate.  Introductions were made and the landlord, who had a great relationship with SSVF, agreed to take a chance on him as long as there would be the continued support of the 40 Prado case manager, which was enthusiastically agreed upon.  He was finally housed!