William had been living what he describes as “pretty much a normal life.” He was married and had a family, a house and a job.
He was working as a painter when the economy took a nosedive.
Work dried up. Discouraged, William began drinking “real bad.” His wife became frustrated with his alcohol use, and the couple divorced.
William thought he would be able to stay with “family and friends” here in Evansville, but it didn’t work out the way he planned. Instead of caring and friendship, William got “dropped off” at another local shelter.
It was from another resident there that William learned about the Evansville Rescue Mission and our long-term residential program called P.A.C.E.S. (Purpose, Accountability, Christ, Education and Service).
“I was in shock.”
Divorced. Jobless. Homeless.
Nothing was going right in William’s life when he first came to the Mission and talked with Alan, the administrator at our Residence Center.
But it didn’t take long for William to feel right at home. “Everybody is extremely nice, and all you have to do is ask and they are more than happy to help you.”
One of the people William “ran into” was Malcolm, who was already in the P.A.C.E.S. program.
“He put a Bible in my hand, and I’ve been reading it ever since!”
Malcolm did more than give William a Bible – he encouraged him to join our long-term recovery program. He did, and it is changing his life!
In addition to spiritual development through chapel and Bible studies, men in the program attend classes and work in one of the Mission’s four ministries. They attend life-skills classes and begin the hunt for jobs and permanent housing, which will be the key to staying on their feet once they leave the Mission.
Today, William has a new outlook and renewed hope. “This place can totally and completely turn a person’s life around,” he says. “It changes your whole outlook on yourself, what you can do and what you can become.”
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