Client Story
Client Story
Yvester | One Day at a Time
Persistence and Consistency
To meet the definition of chronic homelessness according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness (NEAH) you must have experienced homelessness for at least a year – or repeatedly – while struggling with a disabling condition such as serious mental illness, substance use disorder, or physical disability.
Yvester met this definition 27 times over. Until this April, when he moved home after nearly three decades of chronic homelessness, and a lifetime – 62 years and counting – of housing instability. It’s been his “normal” for many years. He also lives with all three disabling conditions tied to chronic homelessness, making long-term success particularly challenging.
Yet to understand the definition is not to understand the man. Yvester, better known as Y or Preacher (depending who you ask) is also a devoted son, a grandfather, a sports fan, a deep thinker, a former high school basketball star, and a man of faith.
Yvester’s been engaged with local services since at least 2017. He’s had opportunities for long-term housing in that time, but difficulties with relapses, with choices made in desperation or out of habit, as well as inconsistency of care due to funding gaps, staff changes, and capacity issues, not to mention criminalization and generational trauma, have all been barriers to lasting success.
He recently sat down to share his story in his own words, from the comfort of his own living room. Yvester’s warmth immediately puts you at ease as a guest. He’s easy to joke around with. He looks so much healthier than he did mere months ago.
During our short visit, he made sure to take care of business too – someone from his clinic dropped by to confirm an appointment, and he and Mary (his behavioral health specialist from Keys to Change) discussed his benefits and budgeting, and planned their trip to the post office for later in the week. This support from the community coupled with his own momentum seem to be a sort of secret sauce for his continued success.
Here’s his story.
Q&A
Q: Tell us a bit about yourself.
A: I grew up right here in Phoenix Arizona. Born and raised, more or less. I remember as a kid going back and forth to different states, my mother was running from my father. And he kept coming chasing her, so she kept us moving. Arizona, California, Texas, Oklahoma, back to Texas, back here. I remember this stretch of Buckeye and the cars racing at night.
Q: What was it like for you growing up?
A: I was a basketball star here and in California. I was a shooting guard…man I loved playing. I got a scholarship to go to college in Oklahoma. Out of the blue they offered me a scholarship – I was that good! One day I was practicing with the team, then the next day it blew me away…my girlfriend (back home) called to say I had a baby on the way.
My mom had been so happy at least one of her kids was going to college. She was happy but got sick later on, and she didn’t do too well as far as medicine goes…that’s what took her out of the game. Medicine is something that my family does not get along with, you know what I mean? And drinking. Drinking was a big part of our family.
So I had to go back home but just until I figured it out then I’d come back to the team. I told coach I’d be back soon. He told me ‘you’re never coming back. Once you leave, 90% of players, they’re never coming back.’ I told him he was wrong, like why are you just denying that I’ll come back? But you know what? He was right.
Q: What happened?
A: Lots of things. It was the crack epidemic. And I was smoking crack, and then I went on into deeper drugs like meth and stuff like that.
Q: And since then?
A: It’s been 27 years can you believe it? It’s just been a long road going back and forth, up and down, in and out of shelters you know. You go in them and you come out thinking you got it made, but then all of a sudden something else – pop. It’s always something to bring you back and hold you back from what you want to be doing.
…And there’s more people out here now, and more people means more problems, more fights. And they move you around like cattle. I used to hate that man…now I understand why. And then there’s people who say they’ll help you but it’s bull crap – they lie to you and game you then come back with a different story the next time you see them.
It’s hard to know who to trust, that’s one of the biggest things. Or you can trust workers, you can trust people who want to help, but who’s actually going to be able to help?
Q: So what has it been like working with the different agencies at Key Campus?
A: I like Mary (from Keys to Change), Mary’s cool. I like Mary because she handles a commitment – she don’t play. If she can get it for you, she will and if she can’t she’ll tell you that…she’s the best I’ve ever worked with…HOM Inc. – they’re a good company, they look out for you. Really well-run.
…There’s a lady at CBI who was always helping me out when I was there, I just can’t remember her name. There’s Rochelle too, who’s a good person, and the doctors at the clinic – oh they love me!
…The guy from my clinic would come give me a shot right out there on the street. He would always find me. And he’d tell me I’m going to die out there if I don’t change things, and I like that. I like that he came to try to persuade me.
Q: You started working with Mary at Keys to Change in January of this year. What prompted you to commit to a housing plan, and what do you think helped you succeed?
A: I started seeing more people than ever out there, and so many that didn’t want to be, too…I just said that I don’t care what it takes, I’m gonna get it and that’s what I started doing. If I gotta get up and spend three or four hours every day doing whatever I have to do to just stay on track, I’m gonna get up and I’m gonna do it. The program’s there for you but they’re not going to do it for you.
…And the last place I thought I’d end up is back in Phoenix. Now the heat starts bugging me at like 110, 112 and I don’t think I can handle more of that. If people aren’t used to the heat, they aren’t going to make it out there.
Now, when I go back [to the street] and the guys are like, where you been, man? I tell them I got an apartment. Their faces when I tell them, it motivates me. You know what I’m saying? I tell them about my place and some of them listen. Some of ‘em won’t. I like going out there because it encourages them to go on, and then next time I see them – ‘hey man, I wanna talk some more about that…’ So I’ll write it down for him. I get to spread the knowledge – I just want to be able to help people.
Q: How do you like your new place?
A: It’s totally different because out there you gotta keep hustling and bustling with something to eat, you gotta get clothes, keep hygiene, you gotta get it all, all the time – it’s a mindset.
…I like [my new apartment] because you can pass it a couple times and never find it. It’s in the cut and people aren’t just driving up. I like that it’s quiet and I can turn my porch light on in the night.
Q: What are your new neighbors like?
A: “They’re mostly alright! This guy over here introduced himself and we got to talking on his porch and it was you know real interesting conversation, and that’s why I like him. He’s not a bother – just around sometimes…wanting to do a house warming, things like that.
Then there’s the cowboy who stays up front with the big white truck. He saw me walking with my groceries one time, he said, man let me know if you ever need a ride to go get groceries. I thought that was amazing. I mean he’s handicapped – can’t even walk, no legs, I’d never ask him for a favor but he just offered. That’s just amazing.
Q: What are you most excited about in this new chapter?
A: I want to see my grandkids, I got like seven grandkids and I haven’t seen none of them. I wanna go visit them, so they can get to know me. And they can come stay with me for a couple of days, and see that they don’t have to be worried.
Hahaha now I might even go to little functions and stuff, like bingo. You know I used to wonder about those folks going to bingo like why do people go to those things? Alright well now I’m gonna go up there and mess with them, start attending.
…And I just want to sit here and stay out of trouble. Haha just sit in the cool air. I’m not looking for no lady…not looking to get back into the mix.
Q: When you reflect back on it all, what comes up for you?
A: I think about all that I went through, man. I want to keep at it, I don’t want to get frustrated down the way, not going to let stuff keep happening to me. And they [social services workers] get tired of seeing you over and over and over again when they just wanna see you succeed. But it takes something from inside you, you know, to really be ready to go.
Now when there are problems on my head or people bothering me, I can just go home and be able to lay down and rest. Think about playing with my grandkids and just kick back – that’s what makes me happy. I think you can communicate in dreams and they’ve been in my dreams lately.
…You know my mother she would no doubt be so happy to see how things worked out for me. This would have been a great thing for her to see if I could have showed her this.
Q: They call you Preacher. Tell me more about that.
A: I have Bibles everywhere because I love the Bible. When I want back [to using drugs] my faith was stripped for a while, just for a little while. It wasn’t that I was apart from God, it’s that I was apart from myself. There’s no guidance for you, being out there. Now I can sit in my house and listen to the sermons that I pick.
Q: It’s been so good to talk to you and learn more about you. Is there anything else you want to share while we’re here?
Well it helped to see you guys out there every day. Even just saying hi, speaking to me on the way in to work, that would kind of make my morning. Or how Steve would always bring me water. You all [at Campus] are doing what you’re supposed to be doing – helping people.
…Whatever you want to do in life, keep at it. Like my bracelet [says], one day at a time.
Thank you Yvester for sharing your story!
[Edited for flow]