Good news first: Matthew is safe at the Mission. He has food, clothing, and a warm bed. But that’s not enough. I want Matthew to make lasting changes in his life so that he doesn’t end up back here. Getting a support system in place takes a little time. That’s why he needs your help!

Your donation today will keep Matthew in the shelter so that he can work on housing, employment, and all the other goals he has set with our guidance. Read on and I’ll show you what I mean.

Matthew grew up in the projects of Brooklyn. He spent his summers running around the neighborhood and playing as much baseball as he could. But a dark shadow followed him around: he was bullied all the time, and it destroyed his self-worth.

As he grew older, Matthew’s pain and sadness grew into a heavy depression. It hounded him. He tried holding it inside. He tried using pills to numb the pain. It didn’t work.

“My depression got worse, and it got worse,” says Matthew. “I didn’t know what kind of depression I had until they diagnosed me when I went into crisis.”

Matthew was diagnosed with MDD, or major depressive disorder. He got some proper medication. That made him more stable, but it didn’t make things easy. Recently, he had a setback.

Matthew went through a tough period of loss. His grandparents passed away, and his father is losing a battle with cancer. For reasons he doesn’t fully understand, Matthew stopped taking his medication.

Then he slipped up at work. He got into a confrontation with a coworker and lost his job. He was evicted. And now he is at the Mission.
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It sounds bad, but here’s the thing: Matthew is in quite an encouraging place right now. He’s already setting goals for himself, and we’re building him the support system he needs:

To start, Matthew is back on his medication. We are helping him get into the routine of taking it every day. With that, he’s become more comfortable talking about his feelings.

“It’s hard to open up,” says Matthew. “My grandparents dying, and my father dying…it really took a toll on me. But the only thing you can do is move forward. I need to get back to talking about myself again, and what’s really going on [in my life].”

Matthew needs to replace his birth certificate and renew his ID. If you can donate to keep him in the shelter, he’ll get help filling out all the forms, and his documents will mail right to the Mission. You’ll also make sure he has help looking for jobs and filling out applications.

Matthew has moderate arthritis, but he hasn’t seen a doctor in a while. Your gift will provide a social worker who can help him set up an appointment and get resources to manage his arthritis. That will be important when he starts working again soon!

Matthew is so close to 3 years of sobriety. With your help, we can connect him to a community program that helps him stay sober even after he leaves the Mission.

Last but not least, Matthew got early approval for a rent assistance program. If he can make his appointments and stay on track, his chances of keeping an apartment go way up. He’s already on a housing waiting list, so he could be out of here in just a couple months!

We need to keep Matthew in the shelter so that he can follow through with all of these things and truly turn his life around. But I need your help to make that happen! Generous people like you keep our doors open. Without you, Matthew could be back on the streets.

“I’m really trying…I’ve been doing a lot,” says Matthew. “I’m putting one foot forward, never two steps back...I keep moving, I keep pushing.”

Will you donate today to give Matthew a path to success?‍‍