“There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about the people I met at St. Patrick Center and the feeling I got when I walked in – the feeling that I was free to express myself and not be afraid.”

Frank McDowell says life on the streets is no fun at all, and he would know. He was homeless, staying in shelters and unsure where his next meal would come from. He heard St. Patrick Center served a hot meal every day, so he came in to eat, but ended up building a relationship with the Mobile Outreach team. Soon, Frank was on his way to recovery.

After Frank’s counselors got him the help he needed to manage his bi-polar disorder, his life started to settle down. He focused on what he was doing and got his job skills back. Frank credits St. Patrick Center’s Jack Hyden with his success, joking “Jack hopped around on one foot a lot because he was kicking me in my backside with the other”.

Today, Frank is back to work and shares a home with some special friends: he moved in with a friend from rehab, they’re dating sisters they met at an AA meeting, and all of them are helping each other with their recoveries. “The serenity that I have now compared to what I used to have is unbelievable.”