I lost my home, my job, my family.
My sons grew up and I went nowhere.
It's amazing I'm still alive.
I mean, it's hard to believe.
The dope I used to put in my system.
I was doing more drugs than I've ever done in my life on a daily basis
and it just wouldn't make the pain go away.
I was dying in the street, trying to commit suicide a few times.
The VA, they saved me, they put me in this program.
They also did a lot of things to me.
They've been patient with me.
If you were to ask me, okay, you're going to go to rehab
and your life is going to change, you're never going to use drugs,
and then you're going to be helping people.
I would have said you're crazy.
There's no way that's ever going to happen.
But that's exactly what happened.
I've accepted the fact that God took my daughter
and put her past me for the help of the Salvation Army.
They really helped me rehabilitate me because they've gotten inside.
I mean, I can go use it anytime I get ready, but I don't know the time to use it.
I'll never use drugs again. Never.
I knew right there and then that I was in the right place.
The overarching goal of this shelter is to make sure that at least 90% of every individual
that comes through here will be integrated back into society
with an education, a skill, and a way of living
that will stop them from ever becoming homeless again.
When people come in and they see what we have to offer,
I think sometimes they're really surprised.
Wow, I can get my GED here, or I can get trained to become a computer technician here.
You know, whatever it may be, I think people start to become more hopeful about their future.
It's the only one of its kind where people can come here and feel like a home.
Here at Bell Shelter, we have a graduation every Thursday of the month.
And what it is, it's for a family member to see their loved one,
complete a program, and stay drug-free.
And it's one of the most gratifying experiences one can have.
My name is Alex Tostes. I'm the Associate Director here at Bell Shelter.
I'm an ex-alcoholic and methamphetamine addict.
The Salvation Army was the only place that actually provided me with a chance
to rehabilitate myself.
And throughout my stay at the Salvation Army program,
they provided me with an entry-level opportunity to have a job for the very first time in many years.
And I just worked my way up to the top.
The homeless population and recovering addicts is the most loving and caring people I've ever met in the world.
And not just because I'm a recovering addict myself,
but there's just a certain spirit and a certain love that you feel in these hallways.
When I'm walking around, I'm also interacting with the clients and seeing chicken in with them.
I've got some good to tell you.
I've got work tomorrow at Target.
At Target?
Yeah.
Our success rate right now is at an 89 percent.
And by success, what we mean by that is people who have left,
gotten a job, have an apartment, have a car,
and are living back into society as normal men and women.
Quite often within a couple of months of being here,
if not sooner, people are feeling better.
They know they've got a roof over their head.
They know they've got three meals a day.
They know they've got a staff that's here to serve them
and help them accomplish the things that they want to accomplish.
My name is Sylvia Salcedo, and I've been sober for ten months, seven days.
In the six months that I've been here,
my life has taken a whole new direction.
I started talking to God again, and as the loving Father that He is,
He took me back into His protection, which I never was out of.
He was always there for me.
And I know this now because I'm here.
On the day of my graduation, I felt honored
that my mom would come out, and my sister and my niece would come out to see me.
I love the Salvation Army.
The staff here is always giving, willing to listen.
It's like a family.
Slowly but surely, I started feeling all those things that I was chasing all along
from the time my mom was taken away from me.
The love, the caring, the nurturing, the encouragement.
And I never had any of those things while I was using.
And I knew right there and then that I was in the right place.
And it just clicked.
It just made me cry uncontrollably.
And I knew that that was God talking to me and saying,
you're my house now.
You know, you're safe.
And all the guilt and shame that I felt,
even though it was feeling and I knew that I was going to be okay.
I believe in helping people save their lives and live again.
And if I could make a difference, I felt that this is where I could do the most good.
I'm just trying to get my life together because family's the most important thing.
I had family here, you know, at the Salvation Army.
Tomorrow's not promised to me.
I can't change what happened yesterday, but I have today.
I knew that it was like God tapping me on my shoulder and saying,
you're home.
Thank you.
