My experience at Praxis/Riverside Place was an enjoyable ride. When I first arrived at the Riverside in August 2011, I didn’t have the fundamental tools to begin the process to transition from being homeless to having a place that I can call home. Since the age of 16 I had experienced numerous occasions where I found myself being homeless.
My first positive move at Praxis was my first day when I was greeted by the front desk staff Ms. Curry and the Site Director Ms. Echevarria who offered me a meal and made me feel welcome.
The Social Service team understood my needs and helped me grow as an individual and assist me to obtain the needed entitlements, medical assistance and understand the different housing options that were available to me.
Another positive impact was the day that I met the vocational service coordinator, Ms. Bowie. She empowered me to believe in myself. She referred me to City Harvest where I obtained a food handlers certificate and Exponents where I graduated (cycle 118) as a HIV Peer Educator.
May 2012, with the assistance of Praxis Housing Specialists, I moved into my own apartment. I have been residing in my apartment a little over a year with the assistance of the Riverside “After Care” program and my current T-cell count is over 1150.
I currently work as a stipend worker at Praxis under the guidance of Ms. Martinez, she continues to empower me everyday and hopefully one day I can assist a client like they assisted me.