Renewal Story: Tommy

When Tommy turned 18, he celebrated with his first drink. However, he had little to celebrate in the 30 years that followed. “Alcohol put me in a hole,” Tommy says.

As he watched all his old friends get married and raise families, Tommy continued drinking and grew more isolated. “I just shut myself off. I had a little apartment and I never left it except to go to work.”

Eventually Tommy lost his job and his apartment. He parked his truck under a bridge and slept there, eating whatever he could find in trash cans. When he ran out of money and gas, he walked to the Mission.

They kept me safe and warm, which I do appreciate. If I didn’t have this place, I don’t know where I’d go,” Tommy says.

Tommy has been at the Mission for some time. He had some health problems since he arrived, but he has quit drinking and looks forward to getting back on his feet.