17. Pathlight Home Success Stories (Christmas Edition)

In this episode, Carl Falconer and Danny Arroyo share powerful, real-life examples of what Housing First, workforce training, outreach, and reunification can accomplish when paired with consistent support and trust. (Names are changed for privacy.)

Stories featured include:
• A veteran and his wife housed through No Buddy Left Behind—plus the patient, step-by-step process that helped rebuild trust and reconnect to VA benefits
• Bernadette’s journey from shelter and car-living to stable housing and career momentum after completing Pathlight’s 12-week Culinary Arts Training Program
• James’ Three Bridges story showing how meeting immediate needs (like replacing an SSI debit card and securing benefits) can be the key to reaching housing
• A reunification success that demonstrates how small gaps (like clean clothes, showers, and a partial ticket voucher) can be the difference between staying homeless or getting home safely
• Kenneth’s transformation through the Culinary Program—building confidence, earning certifications, and landing employment with McDonald’s corporate
• A rapid housing win for an older veteran who moved into housing in just nine days

We also share a “fumble” story that reminds us success is not always a straight line—and why trauma, safety, belongings, and trust matter deeply in homelessness response. Our MVP story celebrates Diane, who went from crisis to purpose, and now gives back as an Assistant Chef in Pathlight’s Culinary Program.

Happy Holidays to you and yours.

Email questions: questions@pathlighthome.org

Support, volunteer, or tour: PathlightHOME.org

Produced by Gigi Ramirez and Jay Falconer. Music and Sound Design by Kwon.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:04

Welcome to the Home Team Punk. I'm Carl Falkener, Danny Radio, and we're tackling homelessness.

SPEAKER_03 0:20

Today in our podcast, we'll discuss two of our passions, football and ending homelessness. A little less football this week, right? Yeah, a little bit less, yeah. Uh please join us through four quarters. This week, our topics are going to be our success stories here at Pathlight Home. Uh, this is our special Christmas edition. Uh, we'd like to wish a happy Merry Christmas to everybody and happy holidays to everyone out there.

SPEAKER_05 0:46

We have a little Christmas. Yes, we have a little bit of a little football, a little football.

SPEAKER_03 0:50

We have a little bit of football here. Um, so anyway, so uh we're gonna start as we always do with the kickoff. Danny, call it in the air.

SPEAKER_05 0:58

Uh Tails.

SPEAKER_03 1:01

All right. It is heads. So I will go ahead and I'll start off. Uh welcome to our first quarter. I'm going to kick off with our first story. Um, this story is uh we've sorry, before we get started, I want to make sure that everybody knows we've changed the names here. Yes, these are not necessarily the real names. Uh we're gonna give information about people, but we're going to uh but we're gonna change the names as we go through. All right. So our first story comes from our case manager, Edwin Santana, uh, with the Restore Program. On April 29th, 2025, uh we received a call from the case manager. He informed us that he met a veteran named William, uh 55-year-old Hispanic male, and his wife, who is homeless, and he provided them with the contact information. He contacted William and talked to him about the Nobody Left Behind program and services we provide. William was very adamant about not wanting anything to do with the VA. Uh I've talked with William a little bit, actually, and I can understand why he's been a little frustrated with them. I assure you, William, there is no pressure, he said. I then scheduled an appointment for William to meet with me the next day for intake. This is Edwin, of course, uh, his take. Uh William met the program requirements and provided all required documents. He then enrolled in the Nobody Left Behind program on April 30th. On May 9th, he met with William and his wife again at Maxwell Gardens to Maxwell Garden Apartments to complete the application process. The application was approved, and William and his wife were given the keys to move into their new home on May 19th. The Nobody Left Behind program provided flex funding, we've talked about that, for the first month rent and deposit, which they did not have. He introduced William to outreach specialist Michael Bailey, who will be providing outreach services while William is in the program. Mr. Bailey explained to William about the benefits he will receive once he is enrolled in the VA. Again, William expressed no interest in VA services. But a week later, after Mr. Bailey had a conversation with him, Mr. William agreed to go to the VA. Now William is service connected and is awaiting VA medical benefits for himself and his wife. The next step will be VA disability. And Mr. William or William thanked us or thanked Edwin for being patient with him, and he really appreciated his help. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_05 3:47

Yeah, in April, the program was about four months in because it started in January, so it was pretty new. But yeah, we're seeing a lot of um kind of veterans who are hesitant on going to the VA. Yeah. But you know, we we work with them and try to explain to them that we we have to have a conversation with them and start a process because there's some money that you can get and kind of services and provide all that. But I love how the case manager, the outreach specialists, you know, kind of work together to help that person. That's exactly right. Um, and then again, the flex fund, just like we talked about in our previous episode, was how important that flex fund is to kind of give them a little hand to move them in.

SPEAKER_03 4:21

So absolutely. And I think it it it highlights a couple of points that we've made throughout other episodes is the professionalism, is Edwin and Michael Bailey are staff of ours that have been trained and know how to work with people, even to overcome some of that resistance. You know, and it really, I think with William, it really came down to some of that trust. You know, is he was very frustrated with the VA. Um, I've actually talked to William uh and he told me he was like, look, it's it's very frustrating and it's hard to go through that system because we've talked about this as well before, is the bureaucracy of these large systems, these large government agencies, and trying to get the benefits that you are entitled to through these programs. So luckily, we were able to get him housed because we have our nobody left behind program. We're able to get him housed, him and his wife, and really be able to help them kind of settle in, yeah, become comfortable, and then we started working on those other longer-term goals.

SPEAKER_05 5:21

Yeah, and it shows the the staff how they how invested they are that they continue to work with you too. Absolutely. Let's go to the VA, let's keep going.

SPEAKER_03 5:28

That's right. Didn't say no, didn't say you know, forget it, whatever. Just keep working on it.

SPEAKER_05 5:33

Because they could have just moved them in and that's it. And then been done with it. But they can try and and I'm excited that he actually said, let's okay, let's do it.

SPEAKER_03 5:40

Yeah, that's a great story. Great story. And again, as a veteran myself, I'd really love to see us helping the veterans. I'm glad we have this new program. I think it's really uh helpful, and I think it's it's it really shows that we can end homelessness overall because we're doing it with our veterans based on the amount of resources that we have for them. So I think it's really helpful there. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 6:04

All right. So our second story uh comes from Bernadette, who is uh 57, Hispanic, and is a resilient, determined young woman who came to the Employment Resource Center while facing significant life challenges. Uh she was seeking stability and opportunity. Uh Bernadette shared her journey of hardship, perseverance, and hope. At the time, she was residing in a women's shelter and for a period living out of her car while actively searching for employment and a path forward. Despite these obstacles, Bernadette never lost sight of her goals. Through the support of the Employment Center, the culinary program, and the collaboration of community case managers, she was given the opportunity to explore new career possibilities and identify areas where she could grow both professionally and professionally. With continued guidance and encouragement, she was able to secure safe housing and fully commit to the 12-week culinary training program. Through the program, she demonstrated dedication, consistency, and a strong desire to build a better future for herself. She successfully completed the course, earned her certifications, and gained valuable hands-on experience that strengthened her confidence and employability. As a result of her hard work and commitment, Bert Nadette successfully obtained employment, marking a major milestone in her journey toward long-term stability and independence. She now stands as a powerful example of what is possible when opportunity meets determination. Her journey reflects not only personal resilience, but also the impact of supportive services, workforce training, and community partnership. She is now focused on the next chapter of her career, equipped with skills, confidence, and renewed hope for continued success.

SPEAKER_03 7:40

It's a great story. That's fantastic. And again, it goes to uh again overcoming that myth of people don't want to work, people are lazy, people, you know, don't want to take control of their lives, they don't want to do better, they want to live on the streets. This is a perfect example that blows that myth just out of the water. She she wanted to work, she was actively looking for employment, she was just having a hard time trying to find it.

SPEAKER_05 8:08

Yeah, and she probably came in looking for work, had no idea the culinary arts program was there. You know, it was offered to her, and now she's not only doing that, but she's trying to get housing, she's trying to get a job. That's kind of encompasses all the services we provide here. That's all wrapped in one. And again, the culinary program is free, free of charge. You just need to be committed and attend every day. But you get all those certifications, and that helps you to for a job. Absolutely. So and then and then after she finishes, we help you find a job. Yeah, that's pretty much it. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 8:38

It's the whole package all the way around. Yeah. So and so I think that's a really good example again of that, you know, people want to work, people want to find housing, people want to do better. We just got to give them the tools and the resources to be able to get them to that next step. Yeah. Because, like I said, she was living in a women's shelter, and uh this is, you know, where we sometimes have some issues with shelters, is if they're not directing people to get them work or to get them housed or to get them to that next step. Yeah, sometimes, you know, we need a little extra help. I'm I'm I feel bad that she had to actually come here to us when she was in a shelter and should have been getting those services there. And I don't know why she wasn't. Look, there's all kinds of reasons why she may not have been able to get it there, but for whatever reason, she reached out for more resources, came here, started working, and really started working on her path. So kudos to her. Kudos to her.

SPEAKER_05 9:35

All right, that wraps up the first quarter. We will be back after this break. Hello, I'm Daniel Royal, Vice President of Programs at Pathlight Home. If you're new to our mission, welcome. We're dedicated to changing the lives of those experiencing homelessness and hardship through housing, support services, and career training. What began as one dream for a compassionate solution to homelessness has become a reality. Since our funding, we've provided housing for more than 8,000 people, offering shelter, opportunity, and hope. This month, as we honor National Homeless Awareness Month, we are also kicking off our end-of-year campaign, a time to come together and give back. Every contribution, whether monetary or in kind, directly supports our residents and the community we serve. No gift is too small to make a difference. As we celebrate our journey from dream to reality, thank you for being part of this mission. Together we can make the dream of ending homelessness a reality in our community.

SPEAKER_03 10:46

This is the second quarter, and now we'll get into more success stories on our Christmas edition of the podcast. Um, I'll go ahead and I'll start us out. Uh, this is a Three Bridges success story. It comes from our Three Bridges program. Uh James, 51, uh Hispanic male, uh, was on a journey with the Three Bridges program. It began when Pathlight's dedicated outreach team found him living on the streets in one of their regular outreach locations. After approaching James, the team asked him a few questions and introduced him to the Three Bridges program. James was immediately interested and quickly agreed to join. Once enrolled, James met with the Three Bridges case manager. While he expressed a strong desire for housing, his mind was preoccupied with several other pressing concerns. The case manager helped James organize his thoughts by listing his priorities in order. As the top of the list was his financial situation. Although James was receiving SSI, that's Social Security income, he had lost his debit card over a month ago and didn't have access to a phone or a computer to request a replacement. With the support of the Three Bridges case manager, James went through a rigorous verification process with DirectExpress, the SSI debit card company, and eventually was issued a new debit card. This significant breakthrough lifted a major burden from his shoulders and allowed him to focus on the next items on his list, getting food stamps and finding out what medical insurance he was qualified for. As each task was checked off, James started to feel more confident and supported. He shared, No one has ever taken the time to help me the way the staff at Three Bridges has. With his immediate needs addressed, James was finally ready to concentrate on finding stable housing. The case manager presented him with several housing options throughout the community. However, James said that he wanted to stay close to the Three Bridges staff as they continued support, as their continued support was important to him. James has since submitted his housing application and was approved and moved into permanent housing two weeks later. James stated he couldn't be happier.

SPEAKER_05 13:03

This is great. This is another one of our newer programs. Yes. And he was one of our probably top five that first moved in.

SPEAKER_03 13:10

That's great.

SPEAKER_05 13:11

And went through the whole process of outreach and yeah, and it just shows the determination of the case manager to get that direct express cost because they're that's one of the biggest hurdles is they lose it. It's so hard to get it back because they have to show proof. And again, without a phone, without a computer, they don't have any way of showing proof of it. So just working with them from start to finish to eventually get them housed is fantastic.

SPEAKER_03 13:34

Yeah, and it also shows that we don't always have to start with housing to get someone to housing. It was obvious that James' concerns were with his finances, with his money. He was worried that, you know, maybe somebody else was using his card, maybe, you know, he would never be able to get it again. He couldn't access any of his dollars, which he knew he had available to him and would help him eventually. So his case manager worked on the things that James wanted. Exactly. And that's an important point to this story. Yep. Is she let him lead the conversation and let him work through the priorities, finally getting him to housing.

SPEAKER_05 14:12

She he let her know what I need. This is what I need right now in order for me to move forward. That's right. And she and that's what she did.

SPEAKER_03 14:18

And she followed him right through it. And that's a perfect example.

SPEAKER_05 14:22

And that just builds a trust between the client and the staff. Absolutely. It just builds a trust that he knows. And again, she said today that he never he said, I've never been treated this way before, just because of the support and kind of you're listening to them.

SPEAKER_03 14:33

And I have to say, that's one of the things in the homeless response system that we have gotten better at, particularly in the beginning when I first started my career a long time ago in this. We used to just, you know, not necessarily listen to people, but tell people. You know, and oftentimes, you know, we just had uh last week we had our funding episode and the funders will tell us that we have to have certain things done. We have to get certain information, we have to meet certain goals, we have to do certain things. But the reality is that our clients need to be the ones who lead these conversations because they're the ones who know how to get themselves from one place to the other. They need help, they need support. But the reality is they should lead the conversations. And whenever our homeless response systems are not letting them lead the conversations, that's a disservice to them because it takes away all that confidence, it takes away all their all their empowerment, it takes away all of those things.

SPEAKER_05 15:34

You sit down with them and you tell them this is what you need to do, this, this, this. It's gonna shut down the client. It's gonna say, Well, you are you really helping me or are you telling me what you're doing? You're telling me that's what kind of help I need. I know what I need. So I think the way that that our case manager did it was fantastic.

SPEAKER_03 15:49

This fantastic story, absolutely.

SPEAKER_05 15:51

All right, so our second story uh uh is uh from it's a reunification, which we talked about um in our last episode as well. Uh so one afternoon, uh we were driving down West Colonial Drive and saw a man who appeared he may be homeless, only because he was standing under the 429 overpass. Uh, we spoke to the gentleman, Glenn, uh 53 years old um Caucasian, who is from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. He came to Florida for construction work, which has since ended. His family purchased a purchased him a Greyhound bus ticket home. However, the trip was cancelled due to bad weather. He rescheduled his trip for the following week. Unfortunately, he was turned away this time due to a smell and dirty clothes, uh, something that comes from being homeless. Uh he had become frustrated and hopeless. We asked him if he would like our help getting back to Myrtle Beach, which was met with a resounding yes. He shared he and his dad also had a family friend who takes care of his dad. Um, both would give him a place to stay. We called his dad and there was no answer. And then we were able to reach out to the family friend Laverne. Laverne shared that she has been trying to get um Glenn rescheduled to take the bus home. However, his cell phone had been stolen, as is common with people experiencing homelessness. She promised to email him his bus voucher after work. The next day, with the bus voucher in hand, we brought we brought Glenn to the drop-in center for a meal, some shower, and clean clothes. We then took him to Greyhound where we discovered the voucher did not cover the full trip, uh, the the cost of the full trip. We were able to pay the difference using our flex fund, of course, and put him on the bus. Laverne has shared he made it to Myrtle Beach and is living with a friend. We now know Glenn has a safe place to lay his head surrounded by his support system.

SPEAKER_03 17:38

And and here's the thing is that had we not been able to reunify Glenn, Glenn would have cost our community so much more money and resources, time and effort than it did for us to help fund a a bit of a bus voucher back to where he had housing available. He had a support network, he had friends, he just could not get there. And the fact that again, turned away because his clothes were dirty and he smelled bad. Well, he didn't have a place to shower, he didn't know where to go for those things. And and again, even if he hadn't been turned away, he still wouldn't have had enough money to get him the entire way. And so I'm glad that we were there to help. I'm glad that this reunification story ended well. But I think it just goes show it goes to show that the smallest things can keep people out on the street.

SPEAKER_05 18:33

And it's another one of listening to the person. Well, it's the you need. Yes. And I don't want to stay here, I don't want to go on the show, I want to go home.

SPEAKER_03 18:40

Yes. That's it. That's all I want to do.

SPEAKER_05 18:41

So let's find a way to get you home.

SPEAKER_03 18:43

That's right. Where I have people and I have things and people that have been waiting for him and didn't know how to contact him because he had lost his phone.

SPEAKER_05 18:50

Oh, got it stolen. I'm sorry, he got it stolen. So exactly.

SPEAKER_03 18:52

It just uh yeah, and again, the the small amount of effort and uh extra time that it takes to be able to do these things is really, really important. Yeah, definitely.

SPEAKER_05 19:05

All right, so we made it to the halfway point, and during halftime, we want to take a moment, a moment for fan interaction and highlight an inspired quote related to housing and homelessness. So, Carl, you have the questions too.

SPEAKER_03 19:16

All right, well, let's start by hearing from our listeners then. Um, the first question comes from Howard. How does your outreach strategy change during the holiday season?

SPEAKER_05 19:28

I think right now, and just talk, I was actually talking to the outreach team yesterday because we had a meeting. Um, and they are, I think the weather is affecting um finding people and where they usually are because they're trying to get something, some type of shelter somewhere else instead of an encampment. Absolutely. Instead of, you know, living under the 429. Um, because it's it's gotten cold the last couple of days, and it has been pretty cold. So I think it's making um the R's team's job a little harder to locate people. Um, but they continue to drive, they continue to hit their regular spots. But now I told them to start being a little bit more creative, start going to places you haven't been before, start driving. We talk about a popka and a popka saw rural, and it's less um uh homelessness is less visible, I guess. So I think if you start driving, I told them myself I drive through those side streets and I start and you see people, yeah, not might not be a lot, but there are some.

unknown 20:21

Sure.

SPEAKER_05 20:22

Um, so I told them just start driving out to those places you haven't hit. Yep. Um, because there's a possibility that the ones that you saw at a certain location probably move to that location. Yeah, you know. Um, but it the weather is definitely affects our outreach team, not just ours, but just in general, um, because they they move somewhere else, you know.

SPEAKER_03 20:39

Um so yeah, especially the cold weather here. Definitely. And again, it might not be as as big an effect in colder climates, colder areas, because the people are used to that and they get but when it gets cold here in Florida, yeah, people really scramble to try and find other things. But it disrupts their patterns, their, you know, the things that they're doing. The holiday season also disrupts services. You know, uh service provider agencies are just like any other organization, is we shut down at certain times for the holidays. And unfortunately, you know, that leaves people without places to go and without services to be able to access. So what what we always try and do here is we always try and make sure that people are settled in, they've got all the resources they need, they've got the things they need to get them over that kind of holiday season or those holidays, and then you know, pick back up with them once once we get done with the holidays.

SPEAKER_05 21:34

Yeah, and not even just us, but all these day service centers and they close. So if it's cold and you know, someone's trying to go during the holiday, I mean, and they want to get some food or they want to get a cup of coffee, they're closed. And they just don't know where to go.

SPEAKER_03 21:47

So yeah. Our next question comes from Tammy. The holidays seem to be more about gifts and buying a lot of things we don't need. How do I teach my kids what the holidays are really about? Kindness, compassion. And giving back.

SPEAKER_05 22:02

Yeah, so I I don't have any more kids. They're all grown out of the house. Um, but I know with my daughter, my youngest, I worked at a shelter for about five years, and because of her school, they had like a volunteer program. So we used to bring her out to kind of sort clothes and just just help out in general. So I think that is a big we we tell right the community to come and volunteer. Absolutely. Kids are a great place for them to come and volunteer and give back, whether it's sorting clothes, food, just whatever it is. That's right. Um, but I know kids want gifts, I get it, you know. But I think it leads by example also. Yeah. So if you're working that you're giving back, if you're working somewhere that you're giving back, you go and volunteer yourself, they'll follow suit. That's right.

SPEAKER_03 22:45

You know, so it's not and again, not just giving back, but also those in-kind donations. Oh, definitely. And again, and talking to kids, having a real conversation with kids about other kids that might be out there that might need things more than what they need. And talking to them about, you know, look, kids, you know, and I found this with my kids as well, is when they were growing up, there were a lot of things that they didn't play with. There was a lot of things that they had already, you know, had their time with or whatever. And we would talk to them about let's go donate those things. And clothes. You know, there's other kids there, clothes, you know, gifts, stuffed animals was a big one, you know, a lot of toys, things like that. And we talked to them about giving back. And I think that's important. And you brought up a really great, you know, idea about the volunteering is you got to get people started early on volunteering and understanding what value that has, not just for the people that you're volunteering for, but for the people who are doing the volunteering, is that feeling that you get when you see people that are grateful for the things that you have to offer them.

SPEAKER_05 23:50

In New York, I worked for a day service center when I first started my career, and my daughter was very young then. She was like seven or eight, and she used to go to the office with me, and she's something as simple as mail that the homeless community doesn't have or access to it. We provided that, and she would be there with me, handing it out, giving it to the to the people coming in, and they would just appreciate it. So it was just giving back a little bit, just a little bit, but it was something. Yeah, absolutely. And it changes the whole mindset. Oh, definitely.

SPEAKER_02 24:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 24:16

All right, so it's time to get inspired by our quote of the week. So the Bible, the book of Matthew, chapter 25, verse 40, the king will reply, Truly, I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.

SPEAKER_01 24:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 24:32

And this is a good story. During the holiday season in particular, it's really a time I know a lot of people focused on Christmas, right? And and what is Christmas about? And again, we just talked about the idea of gifts and things like that. But, you know, really when it comes down to it, if you if you really, you know, are based in faith and you really are following the Christmas spirit, it's about making sure that you're doing something for people who have less than you. It's not about you or it's not about people who have more than you, but it's really about giving back, and it's really about that that spirit of of giving and that spirit of understanding that we're all connected as human beings, and there are people that have less than us, and they need help, they need support. Honestly, they just need to know that they're loved and they're cared for. Uh, you know, that's one of the biggest things that you get out of volunteering, aside from you know, giving whatever items you're giving. It's that feeling that somebody feels recognized. They feel like you see me as a human being and you care about me as a human being.

SPEAKER_05 25:42

Yeah, one of the things I used to notice when we used to, when I worked at the Day Service Center and at the shelter, we would volunteer, my department would volunteer, not volunteer, but we would go and serve. We would go serve food during the holidays, you know, just like we do for Thanksgiving here, right? Me and you did the live. Yes, we stood in line. And the appreciation from people's faces and just thanking us and every single person.

SPEAKER_03 26:04

I mean, it was everybody was saying thank you for everything that they were getting.

SPEAKER_05 26:08

And we were there, what, 45 minutes? Absolutely. But just seeing our there, them seeing our face because they see us walk around and but just the interaction of just serving them food and it was great. And I think that's a great way to I think serving food is such a intimate thing when you give food to someone. Yeah, absolutely. And you and you start having a conversation, they appreciate it more. So I I used to love doing that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 26:29

So and I'll tell my I'll tell my story. I'll try to keep it brief here because you know we have time. They're watching you. We have time limit. So anyway. Uh uh I I ran into a homeless advocate one time, and uh one of the things that he did, which is really unique, I guess I would say, is that everywhere he went uh when he was out and about, anywhere, it didn't matter, coffee, whatever, he always wore two coats. And he and he used to say to me, I always wear two coats, so if I run into somebody who needs one, I can give them literally the coat off my back. Ah, that's cool. And he used to do that. He used to give out coats to people literally off of his back. So he would wear two coats intentionally, going to get coffee, going to get groceries, whatever. When he would see someone, he would offer them his coat.

SPEAKER_05 27:19

That's very cool.

SPEAKER_03 27:20

And that's just that to me is a huge deal. Not even just the coat. That's it. It's the it's the thought about it, and him thinking as a homeless advocate, and he was formerly homeless, so he knew how it was, and he and he knew what that gesture would mean, that it would mean a whole lot more than just having a coat.

SPEAKER_05 27:40

Because it's something he would have wanted.

SPEAKER_03 27:41

That's right, exactly.

SPEAKER_05 27:42

Something he would have wanted when he was out there and give him the coat off and back.

SPEAKER_03 27:44

Thinking about people definitely all the time when he was out there. So, and that concludes our halftime. Please stay with us after this short message.

SPEAKER_01 27:56

Hello, I'm Gigi Ramirez, the senior director of fundraising and engagement here at Pathlight Home. For over 30 years, we've helped more than 8,000 people transition from homelessness to hope. But when someone moves from the streets to their own home, they often have nothing. That's why we provide immediate essentials, everything from bedding and food to soap and cookware to help them truly feel at home. Beyond housing, PathLite offers career training and supportive services, like our 12-week culinary program, helping residents gain skills, find jobs, and rebuild independence. You can be part of the story, volunteer your time, donate essential goods, or become a monthly Pathlight hero, ensuring every neighbor has a chance to thrive. Visit pathlighthome.org to donate today.

SPEAKER_03 29:08

All right, I'll go ahead and I'll start. Uh we're gonna talk about Kenneth this time. Kenneth is a 58-year-old male African American. Uh he walked into our employment center. He was facing one of the ch toughest chapters of his life. Homeless and unsure of his next steps, he spent months using the center as a safe place to search for work, fill out applications, and prepare for interviews. Kenneth showed determination every single day, but what he lacked was confidence and the right opportunity. That turning point came when he enrolled in our 12-week culinary arts training program. Throughout the course, Kenneth gained more than just technical skills. He earned multi multiple industry certifications, strengthened his worth at work ethic, and most importantly, began to believe in himself again. The structure, support, and hands-on training helped him rebuild the confidence he needed to move forward. Upon completing the program and obtaining all his certifications, Kenneth achieved what he had been striving for: employment. He secured a position with the corporate office at McDonald's, a milestone that truly reflects his resilience and growth. Today, Kenneth is thriving. He continued to check, we continue to check in with him, and he remains successfully employed with McDonald's corporate. His journey is a powerful reminder that with guidance, opportunity, and a supportive community, individuals can overcome even the greatest obstacles. Kenny's story reflects what our program is all about empowering people to reclaim their lives, build their confidence, and achieve long-term success. So this is a great, this is a great story. And it also shows that he didn't even have to settle for the the service job that they had at McDonald's. He went straight to the city. He wanted bigger and better. He was looking for bigger and better. He was looking for something more sustainable. And I think that's the other thing is when he first walked in here, he probably would have loved to go flip hamburgers at McDonald's. Because it would have been a job day. It would have been a job. It would have been a job. But as he went through our culinary arts program, he started to learn more and more about the industry. He started to learn more and more about food, about the service, about what it takes. And it built up his confidence so much so that he said, you know what? I want to go work at corporate and I want to do something in the corporate.

SPEAKER_05 31:36

His interview would have been different had he not gone through the program and talk about what he learned and certification. It would have been two separate different interviews. Absolutely, you know, and he probably would have gotten a job at just flipping instead of the corporate. That's exactly right.

SPEAKER_03 31:49

And not to say he wouldn't have worked his way up from there. Of course, there's plenty of people that do that too. Yep. But in this case, that confidence really made him strive for more. And I think that's that's one of the hardest things that our case managers, our employment uh specialists really have to work on is they have to get people back to a level where they feel confident to ask for what they want and to go for the things that they want.

SPEAKER_04 32:13

Right.

SPEAKER_03 32:14

But but again, we train people on that. And we bring people in and give them the resources, the staff the resources, to be able to build that confidence into these.

SPEAKER_05 32:24

And what's great about these programs is once you get a job, you leave the program, that's not it. We continue to check in on you. We continue to make sure you're doing okay, you're still employed. And if you're not, that's right, come back so we can help you. So just those follow-ups is very important too, just to see where they're at, you know, just to see how else we can assist them. That's it. You know, so yeah. All right, so our next story uh comes again from our nobody left behind. This is a veteran story. Um, on January 22nd, so this was our first Nobody Left Behind client. Oh, yeah. Mr. Santana. Oh wow. So on January 22nd, we were brand new at this. We didn't have no idea where to go with this. Uh uh, Mr. Santana came to Maxwell Terrace, um, the employment center, with a friend who was seeking assistance. Uh the veteran case manager, Miss Gail, uh, with the Nobody Left Behind program and the employment counselor uh spoke to Mr. Santana. Uh Mr. Santana introduces himself as a homeless veteran. Uh Ms. Smith introduced herself. Um they went over the intake that was they completed the intake, and the veteran had met all the requirements. Um and an appointment was scheduled for the Mr. Santana to meet with the case manager at the VA. Um, and then they went uh over the application to require documents for the leasing process at Maxwell Terrace. Uh the apply application was approved immediately. I remember that perfectly. And Mr. Santana was given the keys to move into his new home in on January uh 31st, so pretty much nine days later. Nine days later. Uh so the nobody left behind, we provide them with uh with furniture, microwave, refrigerators, and a whole welcome package for them. And he is still here at Maxwell Terrace. So he was one he was one of our first ones.

SPEAKER_03 34:03

Yeah, and I don't know if you mentioned this, I didn't hear you say that he's 73 old.

SPEAKER_05 34:07

Oh, sorry, yes, 73 years old Hispanic, yes.

SPEAKER_03 34:10

Older gentleman, yes, an older gentleman. Yes, yes, yes. And you can imagine how he was struggling with you know being out on the streets or being homeless. Yeah. Is is it's really difficult at that age in particular, but it's great that we were able to connect him to the services and get him in moved in nine in nine days.

SPEAKER_05 34:29

Yeah, it was it was very quick.

SPEAKER_03 34:30

Fantastic.

SPEAKER_05 34:31

Again, if if everything kind of aligns and everything is good, we it's it's a quick process to get him into units.

SPEAKER_03 34:36

So yeah, that's absolutely great. Yeah, definitely that's fantastic. And another veteran. That's why I love this. Another veteran.

SPEAKER_05 34:42

This program has helped a lot of veterans since January, so it's really, really good. Yep.

SPEAKER_03 34:46

All right. Well, stay tuned for our wrap-up after this message. Hello, everyone. I'm Carl Falconer, the president and CEO of Pathlight Home. And I'm often asked by many in the community, what can I do to help end homelessness? I would like to invite you to join Pathlight Home's efforts. PathLite Home is a 501c3 nonprofit organization in Central Florida. We currently have 560 units of housing that we provide to individuals experiencing homelessness. But we also provide additional support through employment resource centers and mental health services. We have a drop-in day center where people can come in from the heat, do laundry, get meals, all in preparation to get them into housing eventually and off the streets. Community involvement is key to the success of our efforts, and we love when community members want to get involved with Pathlight Home. There are three things we invite you to do to help. Number one, consider supporting us with funding. No donation is too small, and every dollar has an impact on our community. You can go to pathlighthome.org and click our donate button to contribute anytime. Number two is volunteering. We love to have volunteers come in and help us with any of our projects. We have ongoing projects and needs, but are also open to individuals and groups sharing specific talents in ways that build up our residence. Number three is take a tour with us. Come here to our facility and see what we do for yourself. It's the best way to get an inside look at what we're doing at Pathlight Home each day. We think it's important to understand the work it takes to fight homelessness and love the opportunity to meet community members who are passionate about the issue. We love our Central Florida community and are grateful every day for the continued support. And again, to get involved, go to pathlethome.org. Thank you.

SPEAKER_05 36:54

All right, welcome to the fourth quarter where we will wind down the episode by reflecting on a homeless MVP and a fumble of the week before wrapping up uh with our key takeaway. That's right. All right, so I will do the fumble this time, and then call I'll leave you with the MVP. So um again, we talk about our success stories and we talk about how great they are and all the good, but they're not always success, right? We we have times that it, you know, we kind of don't succeed at what we're trying to help with our client. And so we we wanted to share one of those stories to see that, you know, sometimes it doesn't all come out as like we planned. So Shelly, um, who is 58, African American, she was one of our first clients that came into the Three Bridges program. Uh she arrived late one day, escorted by law enforcement, um, tired, and she was very guarded. Uh that the night staff found her a place to sleep because we have units available for those that are being dropped off. Uh, but even then she was clear about one thing. She did not want to stay in Orlando in Florida or in any shelter. Uh Florida, she said, held nothing for her, no family, no friends, no reason to remain here. Uh by daylight, uh Shelly talked about the woods and the place she had made for herself among the trees. That was home, at least for now. She asked to be taken back there, then shifted, speaking instead about Chicago. Chicago felt like a possibility. Um, the case manager called shelters and providers up north trying to find something like a path forward for her. Uh, but plans stalled quickly. There was nowhere confirmed to receive her, no phone uh number to call ahead, no address to give. Even moving her belongings proved impossible without a destination. Uh what mattered most to Shelly were the things that she had left in the woods, right? We talk about personal belongings, how important it is for those people out there. She wanted them safe, locked away, protected. Together they drove out to see what could be moved. Um, that was her and the case manager. Storage units were called, trucks were discussed. At one facility, the computers were down, and everything, everyone was told to come back later. Uh, follow-up calls went unanswered. At another uh location, the cost alone ended the conversation. It was just too much for what she would bring. The money was tight. Shelley asked to stop at a bank only to find it closed, no longer even operating. She admitted then that she didn't have an account at all and refused other ways of checking her balance. Each small optical stacked onto the last. So it was everything just compiling on her. At a different storage unit, uh recognition flickered around the clerk's face. Shelley was told she couldn't rent there again. Um later, she explained why. She had once lived, once lived inside a unit and had been locked out when it was discovered. Uh the rejection cut deep, her voice rose, anger spilled out, she demanded to be taken back to the woods. Uh back at the property, Shelly packed quickly, fiercely, independently, refusing another night indoors. Uh while loading her things, her agitation grew, she yelled, she was angry, um, and uh the case manager then drove her to where she asked to, um, back to the trees, back to the place she trusted more than buildings or promises. Um, after that, um, Shelly has remained connected through outreach, right after it happened. Um, our outreach team continued working with her in the community, checking in when they could, offering support and resources. They stayed engaged until September when they were no longer able to locate Shelly where she was staying. Um her path moved out of view, as many do, leaving behind the reminder that progress is not always linear and that even brief connections can matter. So this was, I remember her perfectly. She was again our first one. Yep. She was very uh just hesitant on coming and just leaving her belongings just set her off. It just it just she was so bothered by that. And they just grabbed her and set to come. And and you know, we we worked really hard to keep her. We had the case manager, the lead case manager, the director of housing programs. We all try to have conversations with her to try to convince her every day. We would say, just one more day. Just give us one more day. Absolutely. Because we were trying to make her stay so comfortable. That's right. Um, and she just was not budging with us. I mean, she just so we had to decide at that point when she wants to go, we can't hold her here. Yeah. Um, but but the good thing about this program is that we have outreach to continue the conversation. Sadly, we lost contact with her. Sure. Um, and and I hope we could find her again to start because we always kept offering her, you can come back. Right. Come back, we have a unit for you. We're more than welcome to put you in. Um, but it's one of those stories that it was we tried as much as we could and had to say, okay, I think we we she can't stay, she doesn't want to stay.

SPEAKER_03 41:21

Yeah, absolutely. And again, this just goes to show that everything's not perfect, that it doesn't always work out for every single person. And again, we tried all the different things. Like you said, she wanted to go back to Chicago, so we reached out, we tried to figure out if there was some place in Chicago where she would not be homeless. Yeah. We and again, this is this is a failed story of housing, but it's also a failed story of reunification because we have to take steps to make sure that what if we do reunify someone, if for some reason we were able or did want to send her back to Chicago, she cannot be homeless in Chicago. We're not in the in the business of sending people from our location to some other location to be in the same situation.

SPEAKER_05 42:07

To be in the same situation, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 42:08

There's no reason to do that. And so we're trying to work with her, we're trying to do our best with her, but like you said, small things can really get in people's heads and really, you know, make it challenging for them. Definitely. You know, things like uh, like you said, her belongings. There were belongings that she didn't not was not able to bring with her. Nope. Um, and so I think but the good thing about the fumble is that we learned a lot of lessons here.

SPEAKER_02 42:36

We did.

SPEAKER_03 42:37

Is that we learned a lot. We we definitely talked with our partners with Orange County Sheriff's Department, we talked with our outreach teams, we talked with them about how important it is to make sure that people have their things with them that they need when they come in. So if we have to take an extra day or we have to do something extra to make sure that they have the things that they're comfortable with when they get here, then we gotta take that extra time.

SPEAKER_05 43:00

We've got to be able to make sure someone what we learned there was someone comes into one of these units and it's late at night because you know this is a 24-hour program. That next morning, if they say my belongings are here, here, and here, we go out and get them. Not two days, not three days, the next day, whether it's the outreach that team that goes out, the case manager goes out, just so they know that they have their stuff safe in their unit. And that hopefully makes them feel a little bit at ease to continue the program. That's exactly right.

SPEAKER_03 43:28

So that's exactly right. But we tried everything, and like you said, we used to always say when I was in outreach, we used to always use this phrase, yet. Right? They haven't gotten housing yet. They're not ready to be employed yet. It it was never the end of the road for us. What we used to say, we used to have a saying, we used to say we're flame retardant. You can't burn us. You can't burn us. There's a lot of service providers who do not live by that motto. They, you know, if you make one mistake or you break one rule or you don't show up one. Day or whatever. That's it.

SPEAKER_05 44:01

You're done. You're done. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 44:02

But here we take a different approach to that. And particularly with our outreach teams, is that's why we have the outreach teams to keep that connection to make sure that people know we're still available. Yeah, we're still here. You might not be ready to be ready. You might not be ready today, but you could be tomorrow. You could be tomorrow, and whenever you are, we will be here and we'll be ready for you definitely to be able to try and get you back into the program.

SPEAKER_05 44:24

We're working like we said earlier, that listen to what they want first, and then we go from there. That's exactly right.

SPEAKER_03 44:30

Absolutely. And we'd be willing to try to get her to Chicago again if there was something up there that someplace up there that we knew she was not going to be homeless anymore. Absolutely. We'd try it all over again. So uh, you know, even though it's a fumble for us, it it doesn't hurt us, and that's the other part of this story, I think. Yeah, is that we're not taking this personal. We know that she had issues, we know that she had things, and she was very obviously tired, she was guarded. I mean, she was going through a lot. And we understand people are at that point in their life where this is their low moment. Yeah. And we've got to, we've got to be okay with that. We've got to understand that, we've got to appreciate that, we've got to work with people where they are.

SPEAKER_05 45:13

If she walked through that door today and said, I'm ready to be back in the program, we put her in again.

SPEAKER_03 45:17

We'd put her in again right away. We just start the process. Without even no hesitation. That's right. Yep. And again, she cursed us out, she yelled at us, she did all these things. And our staff will tell you that's okay. It doesn't matter. She was in a bad place. She's in a different place.

SPEAKER_05 45:33

It's not the first time and it's not the last time. Exactly right.

SPEAKER_03 45:36

And and they will tell you, we will put her back in if she shows up again or if outreach finds her again, we're gonna keep offering her definitely to get into housing because that's what we do. We get people off of the streets.

SPEAKER_05 45:48

Absolutely. Yeah, definitely.

SPEAKER_03 45:49

All right, now I want to talk about our MVP. Yes. Um, and this is a great story. This is this is one that, yeah, absolutely is wonderful. So this is about Diane. And just for you know, uh, you know, I I'll I'll give away the the storybook ending at the end. But Diane is actually a staff member of ours now, and she has been for a while. Yeah, but I'll get into that when we talk about the story. So Diane, uh 56, an African-American woman, uh, began in our Pathlight Kitchen culinary program. She wasn't just learning how to cook, she was reclaiming her life. After years in the trucking industry, she used to drive a big rig. I talked to her about this. She used to drive a big rig, and she had a queen-size bed in her rights that she would sleep because she was an overnight driver, so she would go, she'd do long hauls. Um but she suffered a significant stroke and was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. The medical crisis left her in and out of the hospital for months. During that difficult period, she lost both her job and her home. That's when the Salvation Army connected Diane to Pathlight home. And this goes back to our relationship. Um, our partners is they connected her to our culinary arts program. Through the culinary program, Diane found more than new skills. She found purpose and hope. She thrived as a student, graduated from the program, and was soon hired as a team member at our Sobic Subs location in Maxwell Garden, which is no longer there, but we'll get to that part of the story as well. Today, she serves as an assistant chef in our Pathlight's culinary program, helping inspire others on their own journeys. Diane says, Pathlight offered me a new start through the culinary program, and I found joy again. I wake up every morning grateful for this opportunity. Diane's journey is just beginning, and her story is a powerful testament to resilience, determination, and the transformative impact of opportunity. With each new day, she is ready to embrace the possibilities ahead. This is just a fantastic story.

SPEAKER_05 47:59

And and I don't think it's here, but she's housed as well. While she was going through the process, she's housed as well. And now she's teaching the same class that she took.

SPEAKER_03 48:09

That she took. So and it's so important. Again, we don't we we have not talked as much about peers and peer support, but people who have actually gone through these processes, gone through these programs, gone through homelessness, and come back to work in our industry are absolutely fantastic. And we have several peers that work with us here at uh Pathlight Home, and they're all great. I mean, because they understand what people are going through, they understand those challenges, those difficulties. And for someone like Diane to now be actually helping teach people in her Pathlight kitchen, yeah. I mean, every time I see her, she's beaming with excitement and with happiness because she loves being able to give back and being able to do this and work with the people.

SPEAKER_05 48:54

And it's a good way to give right to talk to the students, and they're like, Well, I'm homeless and it's hard to get, she was like, I was there too. That's right. I was there. I juggle to get here, but you can do it because look where I'm out. That's right.

SPEAKER_03 49:04

We have the resource we have. So this is one of my favorite stories, and and Diane is just a delight. And if you come here to do a tour, I'll do a uh shameless plug for it. You come here to do a tour, there's a good chance you're gonna see Diane in the Pathlight uh Culinary Arts program teaching on with our chef's jacket on and teaching uh teaching, you know, uh future chefs out there. So definitely, definitely absolutely that's a great story.

SPEAKER_05 49:30

Yeah. So we're just about at the end of our show. Absolutely. So before we do, let's talk about our holidays. That's right. What are we doing? We absolutely we got some time off, right?

SPEAKER_03 49:39

Oh, yeah, we got a little bit of time off, taking a little leave time um for the holidays. Um and uh just so you know, we're taping this episode ahead of the holidays, so which is also why we don't have as much to talk about with football because there's no scores. Although I'm sure my Bears beat the Packers. Here we go. I'm sure Danny's Cowboys beat the Chargers. Okay, that's better. Yeah, good. That's a good thing. You know, I I think you know, I think we both got wins and we will be feeling very happy that we're gonna be. We have a lot of scores to talk about when we get back. Exactly. A lot of scores when we come back. Yeah. Um, so uh I am taking my annual uh football weekend. So jealous. So jealous. So me, my best friend, and my brother, uh, every year we get together for a football weekend. Uh, and we go from usually we go from Thursday to Sunday or Monday sometimes. Um we've seen as many as I think five games in a weekend. Wow. Uh not all NFL, but usually we throw a college game in there in the middle. This year it's late, so the college games aren't there, but we're gonna go see two new NFL stadiums. Our goal, my goal, our goal is to see all of the NFL stadiums. Very cool. So this year we're going to Washington. Uh, we're gonna see the Commander Stadium. I think they call it Northwest Stadium now. Um, we're gonna see Philadelphia play Washington in uh Washington, and then we're gonna drive over the next day and we're gonna watch uh Cleveland and Buffalo at the Cleveland Stadium. I'm really excited about the Cleveland Stadium. There's so much history there. I mean, just Cleveland's a fantastic team in terms of history. I just can't wait to get in there and see all that history and everything. Very cool. And um, so we're gonna see him play Buffalo in Cleveland and um then cold stadios. I know. This year we were looking at it, it's like, man, end of the year, and yeah, we're trying to you know work out all the details. We're like, ooh, it's gonna be cold up there. But we've been to some really, really cold games throughout our throughout our times. Um, and then after that, then me and my family are gonna get together. We're gonna go up to the mountains in North Georgia, and we're gonna spend time in a cabin there. So more cold. Um, some more cold, exactly. And so, but not as cold, I don't think. At least I hope not. Hope not, yeah. Um, and we're gonna spend uh some time in a cabin in the woods. So yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_05 51:59

So good.

SPEAKER_03 52:00

Yeah, absolutely. What about you? What do you think?

SPEAKER_05 52:02

I'm gonna go with you to watch these games. No, so I am uh going on a cruise, uh four-day cruise with my wife, my daughter, and her boyfriend. So a couple of days there. We took a shorter cruise this year. Uh-huh. Um, so going to Bahamas, so hopefully weather's nice.

SPEAKER_04 52:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 52:16

Um, and then we're coming back. We'll be we'll be here in Florida. Um, my brother's coming into town. He did that last year. So he'll be here from 20 something to the end of the year. So we're hopefully gonna spend Christmas with him and try New Year's because he's gonna stay on the clear water side, so kind of far. Okay. Um, but yeah, we'll we'll hang out together, everybody. And fantastic. So so kind of stay in town, but have some fun with family.

SPEAKER_03 52:38

So that's great. So pretty good. Yeah. That's great. All right. Well, uh, happy holidays to you, sir. You as well. Uh I'll miss you. Have fun at the games. Absolutely. Yes. We'll have a great time. And uh by the time we get back, I think our next episode will probably be for the new year, actually, right? I think so, yeah. That'll be right on time for the new year. Yeah. All right. And we'll be refreshed. Yes, we'll be refreshed, we'll be ready. Bears will be in the playoffs. I don't know about that. Yeah, then we know have improved that 1% chance. Hopefully, you know, we'll see. It's a point five. Yeah, exactly. We'll see from there. Anyway.

SPEAKER_05 53:15

But yeah, happy holidays to everybody.

SPEAKER_03 53:17

Happy holidays to everybody out there. Uh, that concludes our episode for the week. Remember, if you have any questions or comments for us, please email us at questions at pathlighthome.org. As always, we leave the last words for our beloved co-founder, the late Reverend Fred Maxwell. Take it away.

SPEAKER_02 53:41

I'm still dreaming. I'm still dreaming that we will become uh able and sufficient to increase uh the housing of homeless. This is merely a beginning.