A place for every Veteran: Frank’s Story
When Francisco first walked into the door of a Do Good shelter, he admits he was a little hesitant.
“I was scared. [But] Do Good gave me the opportunity to grow and to go through my problems. The staff and the people living there were helping me out. It felt like the closest thing I had to family at the time.
“I did not feel alone.”
For a year, Frank—as he calls himself—worked collaboratively with Do Good staff like Sean, Nelia, and Scott to forge a path towards the life he wanted for himself. He had significant debt. He was unsure on how to access his full V.A. benefits. Most importantly, he wanted to find a permanent home to raise his 10-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter.
It was our privilege to walk alongside Frank on his journey to permanent housing.
Frank joined the navy in 2002, and traveled the world as a part of his service.
After an honorable discharge, he moved back home, but struggled to adjust and became depressed. He suffered nightmares, and his speech became slurred. He couldn’t maintain a job. Eventually, after moving with his family to Portland, he found himself houseless and separated from his children.
Frank contacted the V.A., who recommended Do Good’s Wy’east shelter, the only primarily Veteran congregate shelter in Portland. Within an hour, he had a bed, and began the process of working towards his goals. Then the news came.
”I found out that my ex-wife lost custody of the kids. I didn’t know what to do….but Do Good kept me focused. I couldn’t get housing because of my bad credit. But they were like ‘Just hold on… let us help you.’ ”
As trust was built, Frank himself began to change. Our Do Good team got in touch with DHS, and worked together to clear Frank’s debt, access his V.A. benefits, and move into permanent housing.
“As progression went on and on with our plan, he developed this very relatable, very open, very friendly, loving, personality. There was a very, very heavy emotional investment into him, and it turned out to be the best thing he could have experienced.” -Sean, Wy’East Shelter Supervisor & Frank’s Case Manager
Today, Frank has full custody of his son. He picks up his daughter from school everyday, and making progress towards full custody.