A Search for Peace
When Harold arrived in Arizona, he was looking for something simple: peace. A veteran, Harold had previously been housed with support from the VA and had lived in his apartment for about a year and a half. But over time, he began to feel like the people around him weren’t listening. Eventually, he left his apartment and traveled to Arizona, hoping to find a new home and the peace he had been missing.
Harold stepped off the plane not knowing where he would go next. Leaving the airport, he was connected with the police, and when they realized he had no place to go, they brought him to Key Campus. There, he met Nette, a Housing Match Coordinator. Harold had never heard of Keys to Change before, but that unexpected introduction would become an important part of his journey.
“What does Peace Look Like?”
When Nette began working with Harold, she didn’t simply focus on finding him another apartment. She wanted to understand what he really needed – his reasons, his outlook on life. She asked a simple but powerful question: “What does peace look like?”
As Nette learned more about Harold’s story, she discovered just how disconnected he had become from the people he once knew. Harold had entered the military at 18 and had not seen his family since. He had no children, and had never married.
She also learned that he had access to a care team back in California. With Harold’s blessing, Nette reached out to Harold’s VA and clinical support teams – who, as it turns out, had been looking for him. They had a new place for him to stay and after a conversation with Nette, some new care approaches to try.
Going Back to Cali
With that, Nette and Harold made a plan for him to return to California. While he came to Arizona in search of the outward peace of a new environment, he instead found the support he needed to return to California with a sense of inner peace and a fresh perspective.
Harold spent around a month sheltered at Key Campus here in Phoenix, Arizona. During that time, he slept on a cot in overnight overflow in the St. Vincent de Paul Dining Room, and on his final night Harold was given a bed in Respiro. To sleep in a bed again meant a great deal to him. It gave him a glimpse of peace – for the first time in a long time.
As Harold prepared to head back to California, another challenge emerged. He had traveled to Arizona by plane, but the experience made him realize that he did not want to fly again. Keys to Change had initially considered helping him return to California by plane, but Nette recognized that another option might be better.
Finding a Way Home
What transpired next exemplifies our human-centered values-based approach. The morning Harold was meant to depart, Nette and her manager showed up in an Outreach vehicle, ready to make the drive with him instead.
When Harold and staff made it back to San Diego, he said he felt much better, and described the experience as a learning experience—one that taught him something the hard way.
A Kind Ear Leads to a Clear Path
Harold’s journey didn’t begin with a clear plan. He came to Arizona searching for an apartment, but underneath that search was something deeper: he wanted to find peace. He arrived without knowing where he would go next and carrying years of disconnection from family and support.
At Keys to Change, he found someone willing to listen.
“Nette cared and heard me,” Harold shared. “She actually listened and heard me.” After feeling for so long that no one was listening, having someone take the time to understand his story made a difference.
For Nette, helping Harold wasn’t only about finding a housing solution. It was about understanding his story, building trust, reconnecting him with his support system, and helping him safely return to California.
From Feeling Heard to the Road Ahead
The impact of that support continued after Harold arrived home. His VA case manager reached out to Keys to Change to thank the organization for everything they had done for him.
Harold came to Arizona looking for peace. Along the way, he found something he had been missing for a long time: someone who would listen. At Keys to Change, Harold was heard.
Special thanks to Nette and Zariah for their contributions to this story.
