During the 13+ years that John lived on the streets, he’d often hunker down behind a closed supermarket. He remembers nights so cold and wind so biting that he got frost bite on his face, hands, and feet. In physical and mental pain, he would marvel at the dark turn his life had taken.
John had grown up in Philadelphia, the son of “two beautiful parents” who he says taught him to respect others. He did a five-year stint in the Army, got married, and found work operating a printing press.
Then he got divorced. His parents died. He lost his job after being shot five times during a robbery, wounds that took him years to recover from physically. Like many others, he ended up on the streets of Kensington, dependent on alcohol and occasionally using drugs.
“When you have nowhere to go and your mind is filled with despair, you look for some kind of easy way out of that feeling. The easiest thing to do was buy alcohol,” says John, 57.
During his unhoused years, John had shunned shelters where, he said, other guests would try to steal his stuff. Until 2022, when he reached his breaking point.
“My body was starting to break down and I started to ask for help,” he says. He went to Prevention Point Philadelphia’s office and talked to the man standing at the front door. He was immediately invited inside.
“Some ladies got me a Wawa sandwich, and when they said, ‘We can get you housing,’ I did not believe in my wildest imagination that they could. That night, I was in the Beacon (House.)”
“If they did not help me, I wouldn’t be on this planet right now, and that’s the truth.”
It was the first time John had slept under a roof in more than 13 years. He spent the winter months at Beacon, working with PPP case workers, including Naomi Wildflower, on determining what his next steps would be. That included finding out which government support programs he was eligible for, like food assistance.
Last summer, John moved into his own apartment in a 55+ community. Now feeling settled, he’d like to find a part-time job. He’d also like everyone to know the difference PPP made in his life.
“I’ve been telling the girls who helped me, ‘Let me tell your superiors.’ But they didn’t want recognition. They didn’t staple their name into me. They offered out a hand to help. I grabbed on it, they pulled me up,” he says. “I’ve got nothing but love.”