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Jorge Reyes, TDHCA
Jesse F., Corpus Christi, TX
Project Access Housing Voucher
Photo: Jorge Reyes, TDHCA
Suddenly being disabled is hard to deal with, especially if you were climbing up and down cranes at a refinery just a few days prior. Jesse F. one day found himself in that situation. A staph infection had shut down his nervous system leaving him unable to walk. He became angry and depressed thinking that his life was over.
“I didn’t leave my house for a long time. I didn’t leave unless it was absolutely necessary. One day some guy in a wheelchair comes in and tells me he’s there to help me. I thought, ‘Is this some kind of sick joke? You got to be kidding me.’ And believe me, at that time I was not in a joking mood”
“As he was leaving I thought, ‘How did this guy get here? Did he come on a bus?’ I followed him out and saw that he was getting into a truck. And he wasn’t getting in the passenger side. He was getting in the driver’s side! I’m thinking, ‘What?’ I watched him get in the truck and drive off. That’s when they (Coastal Bend Center for Independent Living) started to come get me because I’m thinking, ‘If he can do it, I know damn well I can!’ Once I got out of that bad frame of mind, everything else just fell into place.”
Permanent housing was a key piece to his independence so CBCIL helped Jesse obtain rental assistance. A Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs’ Project Access Voucher allows Jesse to rent an apartment so he can raise his four daughters. Now things are looking up for Jesse and his family.
“I’m not angry anymore. I just kind of figured out how to adjust to everything. My girl’s being happy is what actually makes me push myself more. My ultimate goal is to walk again. I’m ahead of schedule in my therapy. Now I can stand all the way up!”
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Project Access Housing Voucher