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Billy Rae's Success Story Billy Rae is a 51-year-old ex-junkie. He served in
the Marines in Vietnam. Billy had a difficult adjustment after he
was medically discharged for a service related injury. He lived a
life of drug addiction and homelessness off and on. More on than off.
When I met him 2 years ago, he was crying and begging for help. I
told him I'd see what I could do. Time went by, when I next saw him
I was astounded in the change. I asked him what was different. He
replied he was clean for the first time in 15 years. He had been arrested
for possession of methamphetamine. The Judge gave him a choice- clean
up or go to jail. Billy Rae entered an out patient program. He was
drug tested regularly. He took advantage of every opportunity they
gave him. He cleaned up his Billy had lived in a canyon for the past 8 years. He survived by scamming, stealing, and being extremely imaginative. He had electricity via a battery he charged with a lawn mower engine. He also had a dog named Shadow. Billy Rae took the next step and moved indoors. He had
a very small room behind someone's house. He was approximately 25
miles form his canyon. Everyday he took the bus to the canyon to feed
Shadow. Billy never complained, ever. I worked with him every step
of the way. He He asked for help once. He asked me if I could find a home for Shadow. I called our Pastor and long story short, they adopted her. They have a yard, two kids and big hearts. Today, Billy is married, has a son, works for me as my Client Advocate and is my right hand man. We run a program that serves a meal to 150 homeless people. We also collaborate with UCSD Medical School and offer full medical, dental, and acupuncture clinics. Shadow joins us every Wednesday night. The clients love her. Our program continues to expand. I can not count the lives he has touched. I know he changed my life. He gave me back hope as a social worker and the drive to find more "Billy Raes". |