I am 46 years old. I left my family and moved to New York from Puerto Rico in 1978. When I first got here, I worked for a few years in a factory in Queens. That‘s when I got involved with the wrong group of people and started using drugs. I remained functional at work for a while, but eventually my drug use made it difficult for me to concentrate and I was fired. I have always been a hard worker but I just couldn‘t handle it anymore. I relied entirely on drugs to live and my life became more and more dangerous and out of control. I was in and out of prison five times because of my drug habit.

When I was released from prison I found that I had nowhere to go and didn‘t know how to live in society. I lived on the streets for two years. Mostly, I slept in parks and abandoned cars. I was still using drugs and eventually wound up back in prison. When I was released, I went to a drug treatment facility to learn how to live life without drugs. When I was ready, I asked my counselor if they could help me find a job. They sent me to Project Comeback, ACE‘s job-readiness program. They told me that Project Comeback would teach me how to find a job and keep a job. And they did. With their help, I learned how to talk and dress on an interview and gained the confidence to walk in to a store and ask for an application.

The staff at Project Comeback helped me get a job at Montclair State University, where I‘m still working as a kitchen assistant and dishwasher! I love my job and my boss loves me. I also know that when I need to talk about how I am doing or need advice with anything, I can always call the staff and talk to someone who cares about me. Since I started working, I have been able to save money, help support my brother, who is blind, and I recently moved out of the shelter into my own apartment.