Daryl needed a hand, just like all of us do from time to time.

Like all of us, he had made some mistakes. He had been to jail, and used cocaine and marijuana. For awhile, he let the drugs take him over.

Like all of us, Daryl had dealt with issues far out of his control. He suffered a herniated disc in his back which made work difficult. He battled depressive and bipolar disorders that made a “normal” life seem out of reach. The mental illness only made it easier to reach for the drugs. Daryl’s life was spiraling downward.

When he came to Columbus House’s Overflow Shelter, Daryl’s marriage had just ended and he had nowhere to go—he had hit bottom.

While the Overflow Shelter gave him a warm, dry place to sleep and a meal to eat, it was Jabarr Goodrum, a case manager at the shelter, who gave him the hand he needed. He connected Daryl with the Connecticut Mental Health Center to treat his mental illness. He enrolled him in an outpatient program at the Substance Abuse Treatment Unit.

These are simple first steps, but they are huge victories in Daryl’s fight for true stability and independence. These first steps are the most critical, and sometimes the hardest ones to take.

Daryl is still struggling. He hasn’t found a permanent place to live, but fortunately the Overflow Shelter is staying open a month longer than in past years. Generous funding from the Neighbor to Neighbor Lifeline campaign made it possible for Columbus House to offer shelter and case management to Daryl and 74 other men until the end of May.

Jabarr continues to work with Daryl. He’s been off drugs for several months. He has applied to Columbus House’s On The Move program which provides stable housing for a year. From there, he hopes to move into Legion Woods, a permanent supportive housing facility in New Haven.

Daryl’s story isn’t a fairy tale, but a life of ups and downs—just like all of ours. He’s doing his best, day by day, to make his life better—just like us.