“I was in a state of flux…”
Twenty-four-year-old Jonathan says his struggles with depression began five years ago when his father passed away. “The downhill started after my dad passed five years ago. My dad was the guy you always go to for anything. Everything always ran through him.”
As Jonathan’s depression worsened, he sought help from family, friends, and medical professionals. Despite his efforts, he could not find his footing. “I needed medication and I didn’t know. I would do things impulsively. I was in and out of hospitals. I was put on medications that took time to work but I was let out of the hospital before they knew if it did. I was in a state of flux and I could barely keep a job. It’s hard to think about getting housing when you can’t even move two feet and you don’t have a stable platform to work off of.”
When he was admitted to Hampstead Hospital last year, Jonathan started on a new path. Staff there was able to find a medication that helped him, and his hospital social worker reached out to Cross Roads House to find him a place to stay when he was released.
“My case manager Julia has been the most influential person.”
“I didn’t know about Cross Roads so I was grateful for Hampstead reaching out to this place as a way of helping me get back on track. I’ve had a day or two in and out of other shelters. This place was more of an organization, where the other places were just a place to crash overnight. I thought it was going to be more of the same – just a place to crash then having to fend for myself when the morning came. The help here is a nice change of pace.”
Jonathan was very motivated to start over when he arrived at Cross Roads House in February 2020. He quickly met with his case manager, Julia, to begin mapping out a path to permanent housing. Within a couple of days, he had secured a job at Market Basket, where he has been working ever since. In mid-spring 2020, Jonathan was one of several Cross Roads House residents who moved from the shelter to a local hotel as part of our pandemic response plan. Jonathan continued to work and met regularly with
Julia to continue his housing search.
“My case manager Julia has been the most influential person. Before I came here it seemed far-fetched to think about me ever having my own place. Having her in my corner really helped me to get over the hump from the bad times to the good times.”
“This place saved my life.”
Jonathan was thrilled when he found out that his hard work and perseverance had been worth it, and that he would be moving into his own apartment. “It seemed to happen almost overnight, because such a short time ago I was at the deep end [of my depression]. I’ve had jobs before that didn’t work out. I’ve had cars come and go. The idea of my first apartment is cool. I love the city of Portsmouth. It’s nice to be able to stay and be a beneficial resident of the city.”
Jonathan plans to continue working and living in Portsmouth. He is looking forward to visiting with family and spending time with them at the local parks and beaches. Jonathan feels like he is set up to be successful in this new chapter of his life. “I got a second chance at life. I was about to go down a dark road, through a dark time. I didn’t know where to turn. I was fortunate that this opportunity came up. I’m taking medicine now that I didn’t know I needed before. I have support from Cross Roads House, I have support at Seacoast Mental Health, I have work, I have a car, I have an apartment. I have that platform now I can launch myself from. This place saved my life.”
Jonathan’s story is included in the Cross Roads House 2020 Annual Report. To view the entire report, which includes resident outcomes, financial statements, and donor lists, click below.