After several years without a home, Melvin finally moved into his own place last week. “It brings back old memories,” he says. “I’ve gotten used to sharing space with others in shelters. It can be challenging sometimes with all the different personalities.”

Melvin has been on a waiting list since June for a spot in permanent housing, which he was able to access through Breakthrough Urban Ministries. Melvin is thankful that he was able to stay at Breakthrough during a few periods of his life. “I stayed a couple of months that first time. Then I moved on when I got a job,” he says. “But after three years, I lost that job.”

He was experiencing severe health problems, and it was during his second stay at Breakthrough that Melvin spent time in the hospital. He has now applied for disability. “It was a tough decision for me to make,” he says. “I’ve worked for 35 years, so a lot of emotion came up when the doctors advised me not to return to work. I like working, and I’m independent.”

Melvin is very self-motivated, and he has received a lot of encouragement at Breakthrough. “He has a number of health challenges now that now prevent him from being in the exact place he'd like to be, but he has a great perspective,” says Housing Coordinator, Paul Luikart. “Despite his health setbacks, Melvin has made incredible progress on his goals, and he knows that God will sustain him.”

Right now, Melvin savors his new freedom. “I can get up and take a walk outside when I want to. It’s nice to be able to set my own rules and regulations,” he says. “I know those are simple things, but they mean a lot when you’re not used to having them.”

Although he’s not sure what the future holds, Melvin is optimistic. “Maybe someday I’ll go back to school, I don’t know,” he says. “My grandmother used to teach our family about the words, ‘I can’t.’ She wrote the words on a piece of paper and buried it in the back yard. She said that we should never let those words stop us. I want that for myself, and I want that for others.