Location: LIFEMOVES | Montgomery Street Inn
*The provided name for this individual is fictitious as per their request. Certain potentially identifiable details have been deliberately generalized to ensure confidentiality and privacy.
Robert used to be really successful at his job, and people admired him for his new ideas and hard work. He had a decent-paying job at a prestigious tech company, which let him live comfortably and go on vocational vacations and eat at fine restaurants.
But then, his life took a bad turn. First, He had a tough divorce with his wife, which broke his heart. He spent a lot of savings on lawyers, which left him financially broke and emotionally shattered. The divorce also meant he lost custody of his two young children, which broke his heart.
All this stress and sadness made Robert's mental health suffer, and his performance at work began to tank. He couldn't concentrate on his tasks and kept thinking about the past and all the things he wished he'd done differently. His coworkers saw that he was struggling, and even though they tried to help, his work quality decline is undeniable.
Robert was in danger of losing his job. The people on board of the company were worried that his personal struggles were hurting the company’s bottom line, so they made the decision to let him go. At 45 years old, Robert was out of a job and without a clear sense of direction.
All these failures and losing his family led Robert to resort to drinking to try and forget his problems. His drinking took over his life, and he pushed away his friends who cared about him. Friends who used to be close started to stay away because they couldn't bear to watch him spiral downward.
As time went on, Robert's life unraveled further. He owed a large sum of debt from his divorce, and he couldn't find a new job. The nice apartment has become a big problem because he couldn't pay the rent. He faced eviction and ended up with nowhere to live.
At 48 years old, Robert had to live on the streets. He had to survive without a home, and the city streets became his new home.
But recently, things started to look up for Robert. He was accepted to the LifeMoves Montgomery Street Inn Shelter. There, Robert made up his mind to finally quit alcohol and try to rebuild his connections.
“I see these people around me and they are actually very supportive”. Robert told me. “I know they are great people so I want to make friends with them and I can feel better.”
He then added, “I am a new person to the shelter, so I don't know many people yet. But I know this shelter has resources for me, so I’ll check those out as well.”
With this, Robert hopes to take steps toward rebuilding his self-esteem and his future.
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