Swords to Plowshares

One vet’s story

“I am a veteran of the US Marine Corps where I served from 1975-1978. About four and a half years ago, I was homeless for two and a half years. During that time I came to Swords to Plowshares for services. Eventually, the case manager there referred me to the Salvation Army Harbor Light program where I stayed for 16 months. At this point, I was not quite ready to transition to independent living. Swords put me up in a hotel for a couple weeks while I got job interviews set up. My counselor told me, “We’re going to put you up; we believe in you.” Out of the 20 resumes I sent out, I got 11 call backs.

The folks in Swords’ Employment Department helped me with housing and Safeway food vouchers until my first paycheck, also a FastPass, voicemail and a mailing address. I’ve just completed my first month on the job and I’m getting ready to move out of the hotel into my own apartment. I am so happy that I was able to achieve in 60 days what would ordinarily have taken six months.

The counselors at Swords’ Employment Department really boosted my self-esteem and kept me very motivated to find a job and succeed on the job. Homelessness is so demoralizing, and it was the great coaching that kept me focused. I feel like I owe everything I have to them.”