Rob

NO TURNING BACK

Your support gave Rob the strength to walk away from a lifetime of addiction!

Rob found himself in a miserable position — spending every night on the street for six months straight. A lifetime of addiction caused by a devastating loss brought him to this place of hopelessness. “When my mother passed
away, I went into a deep depression and started using,” says Rob. “It got out of control. I hit rock bottom.”

For over 30 years, Rob endured seasons of addiction, homelessness and incarceration. But it was only a matter of time before walking blindly through life led Rob to a dead end. Soon, he was out on the street sleeping in a public
park.

“It’s an indescribable, miserable feeling to sleep outside,” Rob recalls. “When you’re in addiction, you don’t really care about anything but your addiction. I
never want to go back to being hungry.”

Throughout his years of struggle, Rob would come to our Men’s Day Room for emergency services. Whenever he stopped by, he was always encouraged to
join our recovery program. It took an interaction with a former addict for Rob to take the first step toward renewal.

“I saw a friend who went through the program, and he looked totally different,” he says. Seeing someone who was once deep in addiction totally transform their life gave Rob hope that it was possible for him, too.

Steps toward a new life weren’t all easy. But Rob stuck it out. “You have to humble yourself and surrender yourself, and that’s hard to do,” he says. “But I wanted to change. I didn’t want to go back to the streets.”

Slowly but surely, structure returned to Rob’s life. Bible based classes and daily responsibilities helped him rise to his full potential. But most life changing of all, Rob restored his relationship with Jesus.

“IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE HOPELESS”

Rob graduated from the program and started working as the dishwasher in our kitchen. Now, he’s working as a hotel chef. His broken relationships with his family are mending. For Rob, it’s one of the best feelings to be
able to say, “My family is proud of me.”

As he continues moving toward lasting stability, Rob hopes to grow deeper in his relationship with God and help men who are in the situation he was in. “I want to be an advocate for change for others like me,” says Rob. “It may feel hopeless, but it doesn’t have to be hopeless.  There’s Someone greater than us who can help us.”

Your support is truly a lifeline for neighbors looking for a way out of homelessness, hunger and addiction. “I needed something, and Haven was here,” says Rob. “Your giving is not wasted. It’s going to a great cause.
You’ve been such a help to me.”