Three years ago, Patrick found himself someplace he never thought he’d be – at the front door of Our Saviour’s Housing in need of emergency shelter.
Patrick, a 29-year-old man with developmental disabilities, lived in his family home in St. Louis Park for most of his life. In 2010, he moved into a condo in Hopkins with his sister and paid rent to this father, who owned the condo. When Patrick’s father retired, he unexpectedly sold the condo and moved out of state.
With little time to find new housing, Patrick realized he was unequipped to search on his own. He reached out on Facebook for help, and an old high school friend connected him to Our Saviour’s emergency shelter.
Patrick entered the shelter in October 2012 and moved into Our Saviour’s transitional housing early the next year. Through transitional housing, he became connected to resources like Minnesota’s Adult Rehabilitative Mental Health Services (ARMHS). With the help of staff, he also developed skills and social competencies necessary for independent living. He notes,
“The person I looked up to the most was my case manager, who was a very strong support, even though she cracked down on me when it came to cleaning my room in the house!”
When Patrick found permanent housing with supportive services in March 2014, he moved out on his own. He loves his apartment and looks forward to staying there for several years, if not forever. Meanwhile, Patrick also started a part-time job at Dairy Queen and successfully graduated from the ARMHS program last September.
Even though Patrick is no longer officially a resident at Our Saviour’s Housing, he remains an active member of our community, attending events and meeting up with the friends he made here. He especially looks forward to going to the State Fair, a tradition he’s kept for the past several years.
As he reflects now on all that he has been through, Patrick says,
“Our Saviour’s helped me to be humble and gave me a new outlook on the world. I realized I had been very privileged and that everything could be taken away very quickly. I am very, very grateful for the community I found here.”
