Guest Spotlight: Meet Dwayne

I arrived in Chicago from Tucson, Arizona, in March of 2008. While in Tucson, I set up a job over the internet here in Chicago. When I arrived at Union Station, I found myself stranded–the person who was to pick me up never showed. I was homeless and needed a place to stay. I found shelter a few blocks from downtown and stayed there for four months.

After leaving that particular shelter, I spent the summer days and nights living on the streets, selling the Chicago Sun-Times to support myself and my habit of alcohol. After a few months of living on the streets, I found the Lincoln Park Community Shelter. I moved into LPCS in July of that same year. LPCS taught me to be sober for the first time in my life. I was sober for a total of seven months when I became self-sufficient, found a job, and moved into an apartment of my own.

Not even one month went by and I relapsed back into the drink, lost my job, and ended up back on the streets for another four months. I returned to LPCS where I became sober once again. After getting my sobriety under control, I began school to get my certifications from the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois for my food sanitation licenses. I remained at LPCS for a total of fourteen months and three weeks this time, when I found an apartment through Mercy Housing.

March 2008 through June 2010 was the hardest time of my life and I must say that if Lincoln Park Community Shelter had not been there for me, I don’t think I would have made it through that trying experience alive.

LPCS has some of the best programs to help homeless men and women get their lives back together. Kudos to the work that they do, and the help they offer to those in need. I want to personally thank all of the staff for their support, help, and patience. I feel if I had not found LPCS I would not be here today to be able to tell my story.