Man Gets Life Back on Track With NHCO's Support

Working at NHCO is not just a job; it's a passion. Maurice, an individual working with NHCO's Mikhaila Fogel, realized that while standing in his new apartment.

"I think it's more a her thing...you feel that it's coming from her heart," he said about Mikhaila's work style.

Over the summer, Maurice enrolled in NHCO's Pathways Program, a holistic approach that helps individuals and families achieve stability and self-reliance. He was diagnosed with PTSD from child and adulthood trauma, and suffered a severe injury while working in road construction. Through the program, he received bus passes so he could get to doctors appointments and Social Security disability insurance appeals.

His biggest goal was to find a place for him to live full-time, and for his kids part-time. He was living in a small, cramped apartment with his mother and siblings after leaving his girlfriend, with whom he has three kids.

“Finding an affordable apartment for Maurice was definitely a challenge, but Maurice worked so hard to get to where he is now. I helped him research different apartments and role-played calling the landlords but Maurice did the hard part," Mikhaila said.

"No matter how many times he was turned down by landlords who weren’t willing to take a chance on him, it was never hard to encourage him to try to call 'just one more' apartment during our weekly appointments until we found something."

On his 45th birthday, she signed a lease and got the keys. On a rainy day in late November, Mikhaila helped him move in and get settled. They mostly unpacked household goods that he received through NHCO’s Sharing Projects.

After he heals, he hopes to run his own home improvement contracting business. But he knows being an attentive dad is most important.

"I'm trying to concentrate on getting back to being a full-time father...I got a solid place to live, thank God. Thank you," he said while looking at Mikhaila.