Because of you, this veteran is reconnecting with his family.
“My heart is healing now. All this change brought me back to my two daughters and my son.”
U.S. Army Veteran Greg loves to read and work on construction projects. Today, he’s focused on the future, reconnecting with his adult children, and starting his own business, but his life took a different turn for a while.
Following in his father’s footsteps, Greg joined the Army at a young age. He was a mechanic and deployed to Germany, then the Gulf War, and back to Germany.
“My four years in the Army made me the man I am today. I don’t regret my service. I saw the fall of the Berlin Wall. I saw the world.”
After serving in the Army, Greg worked in construction just like his father. He had three children and for a while, life moved normally. But after time, Greg found himself battling substance use disorder.
“Looking back, my addiction took so much from me, my work, my daughters and son, and eventually my life. My addiction led me to prison for 16 months. After that, I was homeless. I had lost everything. Initially I thought I’d go back to my old house. But the first night there, I knew I didn’t want to return to my old life. I was sober and I knew I needed a different start. I couldn’t be in that place anymore. I wanted more and to stay clean.”
And once Greg made the decision to get help and stay sober, he didn’t look back.
“This is the part of my story I want to share the most. I don’t want to go back to any point in my life. I don’t need to relive those moments. Today, I feel so blessed.”
The moment Greg walked through the doors of Volunteers of America, he left his old life behind. He was given a safe place to recover, heal, and start rebuilding his life. Greg seized the opportunities in front of him and even did his own research to stay ahead in the process of recovery and reclaiming his future. He attended group meetings and was able to connect with other veterans going through similar challenges.
“VOA knows who to plug you in with. When I was trying to figure out where to live, the VOA team would send me to a housing program at the VA. Another thing I did was get connected to a program so I could go back to school. Being a veteran, I have all these opportunities to get plugged into these programs.”
With the right support and tools in hand, Greg felt empowered to take back control of his life.
“I’m in school to be an electrician. And I just closed on the purchase of my new home. Because of my choice to go to VOA, I am becoming the person I’ve always wanted to be.”
VOA gave Greg a place to restore stability and put his best foot forward. He’s focused on the path ahead and reconnecting with his two daughters and son.
“My heart is healing now. All this change brought me back to my two daughters and my son. They didn’t want to have a relationship with me because of my addiction. But I’m three-years sober. I’m doing the work. And now I’m reconnected with my children. We’re rebuilding each of our relationships.”
“If it wasn’t for the VOA helping point me in the right direction to find these opportunities, I don’t know where I would be.”
You can help more veterans like Greg find the hope they need to thrive.