Andrew
Andrew first came to New Day as a homeless man who “didn’t expect anything good to happen.” New Day gave him hope and a purpose. After working for several months as an unpaid volunteer, he joined the paid staff, working about 20 hours a week. But he is so committed to the organization that he continues to work volunteer hours as well as paid ones.
He enjoys fishing, watching football, and movies, but working at New Day, he says, is now “the most important thing.” No longer homeless, he shares an apartment with another New Day employee.
“I got taken away from my mom when I was seven. After that I was in foster home after foster home after foster home. Finally I got adopted at the age of thirteen. And that didn’t go too well. because they were real abusive to me. I didn’t want no part of that, so I ran away. And then after I ran away I went to juvenile, and into group home after group home after group home. After group homes I got sent to DYS when I was around sixteen or seventeen.
I was there for about a year, a year and a half, and the day I got out I went directly to Job Corps in Mingo, down near the Bootheel. It went pretty good there. I got a trade completion in security and welding while I was there, but then I got into a fight, and they transferred me to St. Louis. When I got out of Job Corps, I moved back to Columbia. I first became homeless then. I was just 18, and I was living in St. Francis House for two or three years, on and off. I had my own place here and there, and for nine years I had a job with a moving company, moving furniture. But there were no programs then like there are now at New Day, and things went downhill.
I was in prison when I met my mom again. My birth mom, she wrote me a letter while I was sitting in Moberly Corrections Center. I didn’t know it was her till I started reading the letter. So after I got out of prison, I went to meet her, and I’ve been in contact with her ever since. So after the twenty-some years, I told my mom “I don’t know what happened, I don’t care what happened. I still love you, even though I was taken away from you. That’s never going to stand in the way.” I’ll always love my mom.
I quit my job in the moving company to move down to the Sedalia area to be close to my mom, and my brothers and my sister, and that’s when I got married. Once we got married we moved around quite a lot. We moved from Sedalia to Kansas City to Iowa, back down here. We were real heavy into meth then—well, not that heavy, but we were doing it. We’ve split up now.
When I came back to Columbia, I didn’t expect anything good to happen to me. I figured I’d still be living on the streets, but then I went to New Day and met Darren. At first I wasn’t volunteering at all. Then I started volunteering in the hallways and watching the bathrooms. And Darren liked what I was doing so he asked me if I wanted to be on his team. It was like, “Yeah, sure!”
I just never looked back. I don’t try to look back on the past. I try to look forward. I mean, what’s happened, happened. I can’t change the past. All I can do is take one step at a time, going in the other direction. ‘Cause I know if I try to change the past, I’ll just get stuck in the same the hole again. Live for today, because there may not be any tomorrow.
My work with New Day started out with doing overnights at the emergency shelter and stuff like that. And after that I was on the roster, you know, employed. Darren pulled me onto the team, and I’ve loved it ever since. It’s awesome that they would give me a chance.
Darren’s a blessing. He really is. Not only is he a coach or a boss or anything. I mean he’s a life coach to me because he’s been helping me do everything. To help me save money, you know, to put back for bills, put back in case I need something for a rainy day. If I need it, I can always ask for it. Because I know it’s always there. He’s pretty much like a banker, or a finance advisor. And those cost money, but Darren, he’s free! He’s helped me even with my marriage, when it was going downhill. Darren helped me to see the light.
It’s been wonderful. I mean, I couldn’t ask for more. Like I said, when I was homeless back in the day, there were no programs like there are here at New Day. No place for people to come in and do laundry and take showers. That wasn’t around. To work for a place that helps people with things like that, it’s just awesome. Stuff that they need. Because life is hard, and there’s nothing wrong with asking for a little bit of help, as long as you’re willing to do your part. And I love the new family I’ve got here, everybody I work with. It’s just much better. I’m not stressed out like I used to be. I’m not angry like I used to be. And—I don’t know—it’s a new day.”
Vence
Vence has been part of New Day Columbia for nearly three years, working 20 hours a week while managing his health and staying clean. Music is one of his biggest passions; he loves blasting his favorite songs in his car and sharing this sound with others.
New Day Columbia has been central to Vence’s journey. It provided him with stability when he was struggling with housing and helped him find purpose through volunteering and work. The day center is more than just a job; it’s a place where he can give back, see others succeed, and continue his own path toward recovery.
“I had a good childhood. No abuse, and spankings were valid. My parents kept food on the table and us dressed. But at 15, I first smoked marijuana. I thought I’d never do anything else, but I experimented. And the choice I made was to keep doing it. I hit some lows; my family didn’t trust me, job issues, housing issues. I always tried to keep a job so I could have my drug. Eventually, stuff fell apart. I just got tired.
I was late into harder stuff like crack cocaine. I tried it when I was 28. At first, it didn’t take hold. It was expensive, and I knew I could buy weed for a month with the same kind of money. But it spiraled. I found myself chasing that high for 20 something years, on and off. I got into legal trouble, lost jobs, and lost stability. It felt like fighting a losing battle; like going in the ocean and getting in a rip current.
I came to Columbia for Mobley, stayed at Harbor House and the Salvation Army. I was selective about my using because I didn’t want to get kicked out. They helped me get a housing voucher, but I lost it a year later because of doing stupid stuff to get drugs. I lost my apartment and became homeless. My funds ran out quickly while I stayed at Welcome Inn for about eight months and depleted my savings. Eventually, I got into public housing at Oak Towers, and I’ve been there ever since as I kept cleaning up my act.
That’s how I got to New Day Columbia. I still didn’t know much about it, but someone said, ‘There’s a pastor here. The church would probably help you.’ After I got some help, I went upstairs to see what they did and how they ran things. I would come to Darren and ask, ‘What do I need to do to get a job here?’ He told me they hire people who show initiative and who volunteer. He was adamant about that. So I volunteered, sitting in different areas he wanted me to, and eventually a spot opened up. He said, ‘I got a job for you if you want it.’ That’s been almost three years now.
I always tell people here, ‘you have to get tired of what you’re going through.’ I can speak for myself because I’m an ex-addict. You get tired of doing the same thing over and over, expecting it to change. It doesn’t. I wasn’t raised like this. I just fell in the hole and kept digging. When I got fed up, that’s when things changed. I don’t look down on anyone here because I know what it’s like. I love seeing the success stories that come out of this place. Some people have passed, at least 25 that I’ve seen, and that’s hard. But others come in at their lowest, and a year later, they’re working, getting their life back. That’s what drives me, seeing that success.
I’ve been married three times. My first marriage was young. We didn’t last long. But last year, I reconnected with her. We hadn’t seen each other in over 30 years. Now we’re back together, and we plan to get married again next year. Addiction is what drove us apart to begin with. I was still using, she wanted me home clean and sober but I just couldn’t do that. I was selfish. I quit my job, lost money, lost our place. We just grew apart more every day. I’m just thankful to have her back.
I have two boys, 26 and 27. Our relationship has improved over the last few years. They saw what happened to me and their mom and they made up their minds early: ‘I don’t want to do that. I’m not gonna be like that.’ They had a lot of resentment towards me because I missed practices and games and important stuff just to get high. But they’ve done well now and I’m proud of ‘em.
Helping people at New Day Columbia helps me too. Some of my lows haven’t been as low as them… I stayed above water, barely, but I give those guys the utmost respect. Sometimes all it takes is giving someone a kind word or a little advice. We try to meet the person where they’re at, even though they need that type of assistance, we try to learn how they operate.
Outside of this, I love music. I have subs in my car. It’s loud. I didn’t have it growing up, and now that I’ve got my sanity back, I’m doing all the things I didn’t get to do before and I’m in a great place. I don’t take the small moments for granted. Credit’s over 700 now… it’s those little things, you know, I find joy out of that. I keep in mind that if I ever go back to using, I may not make it out. I love myself and the life I have now. It’s a no-brainer. Why did I even start in the first place?”
