“St. Patrick Center is not a handout. In order to receive help, you have to want to help yourself. And I came to St. Patrick Center to help Edward Johnson.”

Edward Johnson says drinking was once the main thing on his list, and his life got out of control. He lost jobs and hopped from one house to another, eventually becoming homeless.

One cold night as the rain fell down, Edward was feeling like a lost cause, so he said a prayer. “Lord, please, no more nights in this truck.” That was the moment he decided to change his life, and he came to St. Patrick Center the next day.

Edward became a client of St. Patrick Center’s Shamrock Club, and later participated in  employment programs, including the BEST program. He got a job in janitorial service at a religious motherhouse, and now proclaims himself to be the “jack of all trades”.

Edward continues to be prayerful and grateful for the changes in his life. He enjoys time with his four teenage children and two grandchildren. “It’s nice to be productive in society,” Edward adds. “And I would not be here without prayer, and the help of St. Patrick Center.”