At twenty-four Chris expected to die.
After many years of transition, a lack of structure at home and zero self confidence, a group of older friends introduced him to drugs and his life quickly spiraled out of control. Eventually, he was homeless, addicted and had burned all his bridges. He had given up. Chris had numerous run-ins with the law and was in and out of jail on a regular basis. He slept on the streets for two months in the dead of winter.
“It‘s not fun,” he says. “It’s deadly. My life was a living hell. I was barely scraping by. All I was trying to do was get high. I would wake up in the morning and find people dead next to me. I almost died out there myself.”
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Then one day a Bridge outreach worker spotted him at a shelter in Quincy and gave him some options. A few days later Chris walked into Bridge not knowing what to expect. “It was the first hot meal I’d had in days and the first shower I’d had in weeks.” Bridge gave him new clothes, invited him to see a counselor for his drug and alcohol addiction and gave him a place to live. Over time, Chris went to weekly meetings, got clean, got his first apartment and found a job.
Now free of drugs and alcohol, Chris is living on his own and working full-time at Bridge. He describes Bridge as a place that never loses touch. “Even though I’m not a client anymore, they’re still there for me. Bridge is my family now.” |
