This month, the City of Asheville is sharing stories from people who have been staying in the emergency shelter at the Ramada Inn that have been gathered by our partners at Sunrise Community for Recovery & Wellness. We’re extremely grateful that we’ve been trusted with these stories, as they are incredible tales of resilience and recovery among extremely difficult circumstances. We believe they’re important because they highlight how much of a difference providing shelter can make in an individual’s life.
While everyone experiences homelessness differently, it’s true for many that a great deal of time, mental energy, and resources are dedicated to simply surviving. When in that survival mode, it can be very difficult to do the things that are needed to “get back on track” with housing, employment, physical and mental health care, etc. Having a safe place to stay can provide the stability needed to obtain what’s needed to set one on the path to meeting their needs and finding their purpose. Our story from Jason S. shows just how critical it is:
In his own words
Jason has been homeless since he was 16 or 17 years old. He encountered a terrible accident that involved being hit by a train and lost his right arm. He said that he got “extremely depressed and thought about suicide all the time.” He said that being at this shelter keeps him from having these types of thoughts because he feels like he is a part of something bigger now.
How has Sunrise helped you while living at the shelter?
Answer: They have helped me with stability. They have helped me restart my life and set goals for my future. helped get my identification card and in process of finding my stimulus checks.
How has living in the shelter helped you?
Stability, having a place to call home, gives me rest and a temporary address to get all of my stuff sent to in order to get my life back on track
Jason remains optimistic in getting permanent housing in which he has done all the necessary paperwork in place to speed up his process.
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We are so glad to have supported Jason’s efforts to get back on track. Something as simple as having a place to stay has given him hope and has allowed him to take care of complex items such as getting an ID and applying for permanent housing. Often, we don’t appreciate how difficult the paperwork for those things can be without an address or the stability and peace of a place to stay. We love to see that even as Jason is taking care of the basics, he’s also setting goals for his future. Most importantly, we’re glad that he’s finding hope and some relief from his depression and thoughts of suicide. Jason, thank you so much for sharing with us and we’re rooting for you!
RELATED:
Voices from Asheville’s Emergency Shelter, Part 1: Tony and Lisa
Voices from the Emergency Shelter Part 2: Timmy W.
What is an emergency shelter, and why does the City of Asheville want to open one?