“Legwork is legwork,” says Torez Askew, a patient at Mercy Care and a recent hire through Shelters to Shutters. Atlanta’s continuum of care offers a major safety net for individuals who find themselves situationally homeless or otherwise needing of aid, but Torez will tell anyone, you must put in the work to fully reap the benefits. “Once I started helping myself, people started helping me,” Torez reflected. “That’s how it all came together.”

Torez Askew grew up just south of Macon in Warner Robins, Georgia, and is no stranger to a little legwork. For most of his adult life, he worked steady, technical jobs in maintenance and property management. In the early 2000s, Torez relocated to Atlanta, seeking bigger and better career opportunities.

Life was just fine until he found himself unemployed in 2012. Around that time, he also fell out of a significant relationship. Following these two major life events, Torez moved in with his mother for support, but the emotional toll left him feeling depressed and out of control.

“I wasn’t holding down a job anymore, and that’s when it all began,” Torez said. “I ended up overindulging and drinking and so forth. I got into partying and put myself in a life crisis.”

In 2014 at the request of his family, Torez checked himself into the Salvation Army’s adult rehabilitation center to start working on his alcohol dependency. Being diabetic, he also needed medical attention while going through counseling, which led him to Mercy Care.

After successfully completing his program, Torez was healed, energized, and ready to find work. He visited Mercy Care Decatur Street for his check-ups, TB tests, and other health screenings to prepare to reenter the workforce. That same day, Torez met with Gerard Reid – a resource specialist with an opportunity that had crossed his desk that week.

Gerard introduced Torez to Shelters to Shutters; a national nonprofit that connects real estate properties with situationally homeless individuals to fill groundskeeper, leasing consultant, and technician roles, while providing on-site housing. Given his background in maintenance and facilities management, Torez was a perfect candidate.

93% of Shelters to Shutters participants do not reenter homelessness.¹

“He sent me his resume on the spot,” Gerard said. “He jumped at the opportunity to work in his field again. By the end of the day, I had a recommendation letter from the director of the Salvation Army program. One of the best I’ve ever received from her.”

Torez Askew now lives rent-free in a remodeled single-bedroom apartment – on a property that he supervises – managing several employees and earning a good salary.

“The sky is the limit now,” said Torez. “Of course, someday I’d like to own my own home. But today, I’m just incredibly grateful for where I am.”

“Mercy Care deals with patients every day from the bottom to the top, the middle – all different people and places across the board. And you still get full professionalism when you come in. No one is looked down on.” — Torez Askew

^{1. Shelters to Shudders (2019). Organization statistic.}