Carlos - Project Fatherhood & Veterans
Carlos, a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, was always a hard-working man. He had never had a criminal or substance abuse history, and had been a good father to his children. But like many in America, he was in the low-income bracket of living paycheck to paycheck...and then life as Carlos knew it changed abruptly for the worse.
Most people don’t realize that health problems can initiate a cascade of hardships, including living on the streets. This was the case for Carlos, who fell victim to a series of ill-fated circumstances as physical pain turned into emotional, financial and overall life trauma.
Carlos kept straining his back repeatedly on the job, but he wanted to keep working to support his family. When the pain finally got too much, he succumbed to extensive surgery, but Carlos was physically unable to work during his recuperation period. This one uncontrollable event — a devastating back injury — was the catalyst that ultimately led to his job loss, the inability to pay rent, his eventual eviction from his home, he and his family becoming homeless, a separation from his significant other and the loss of his children to foster care.
After five years of extremely difficult times with bouts of homelessness due to multiple surgeries, Carlos finally found his way to the Veteran's Program at the Weingart Center, a homeless services agency specializing in helping men and women to break the cycle of homelessness. After being in the transitional homeless program, Carlos was able to begin stabilizing his life and focus on what’s most important to him — getting his two children back.
Carlos, however, still had to address and rectify the last five years of his life. The Weingart Center’s dedicated case managers assisted Carlos with rebuilding his life through counseling and job placement assistance. “The Weingart Center helped me get my resume up to date and gave me leads on jobs,” states Carlos, “plus they gave me clothes for interviews and they even gave me a gift card that I used to buy tools for the job I hoped to get.”
With one area of his life looking brighter, Carlos filed a petition to regain custody of his children. But that was just the first step. Because of his past situation,
Carlos was court ordered to attend parenting classes. Fortunately, the Weingart Center also offers Project Fatherhood, an onsite program which works to reunite fathers with their children. Carlos embraced this opportunity wholeheartedly. In Project Fatherhood, Carlos was taught how to be a good listener, learned coping skills, and gained support by hearing what other fathers have been through and what has worked for them. "I am dedicated and motivated to do whatever it takes," says Carlos, "to have my family reunited and to raise my kids in a traditional family and healthy environment."
Today, Carlos’ life is in drastic contrast to what it was just a few years ago. He has already secured full-time employment, and is enjoying unmonitored visits with his children. Biking, hiking, going to the beach, and simply spending time with each other — these all rank as favorite pastimes for Carlos and his kids. And thanks to the Weingart Center expediting his Section 8 housing application, Carlos and his children are looking forward to moving into their own place this summer.
