He has never been given a reason to trust anyone: Gregory is a 73-year-old ex-con who served 20 years at Rikers in New York. After serving his time, he returned home to find his older sister, younger brother, and cousins had all succumbed to the temptation of crack. While serving parole in his childhood neighborhood, he realized, “If I don’t leave New York, I’m going to die.” But where could he go? He saw some photos of Atlanta: “It looked like Atlanta had good food and good women, so I put my whole life in my backpack and jumped on the bus.”

One step forward, two steps back.

Even after leaving New York, it seemed that the world was against him. Soon after Gregory arrived in Atlanta but before he’d even gotten his bearings, his bag with everything he owned was stolen. “My whole life was in that bag, all my money, laptop, ID cards, social security cards, everything.” With just $20 in his pocket, Gregory had to rely on his New York attitude and his street smarts to figure out his next steps. He found a shelter that would allow him to stay despite his lack of identification.

A Confluence of Resources

There are a number of non-profit organizations in metro Atlanta whose missions focus on the needs of the homeless – food, shelter, clothing, and healthcare. But it’s hard to do much without an ID, especially for those seeking social services. On his fourth day in the shelter, Gregory met Alvin who works for Humana Outreach. Alvin promised to re-connect him with social security, and unlike many of Gregory’s previous experiences, Alvin was true to his word. He also told Gregory about Mercy Care, a connection that would completely change the direction of Gregory’s life.

A Lasting Connection is Made

After four days at the shelter, Gregory was becoming frustrated. “The others staying in the shelter were annoying – their negativity was getting to me. I was thinking about going back to New York.” But then he went to Mercy Care and met Case Manager Michelle Keith. Michelle connected with Gregory right away. “I appreciated his no-nonsense attitude,” she said. “I knew we would get along.” She thought that Gregory was an ideal candidate for Mayor Dicken’s Rapid Rehousing program and quickly got to work enrolling him into the program. Case managers like Michelle regularly collaborate with other nonprofits to help their clients. She connected with Tracy at InTown to obtain Gregory’s ID card; Marjorie from the Elizabeth Foundation managed to secure a copy of his birth certificate. Gregory couldn’t believe the care and follow-through he was experiencing.

He said, “I could not believe the help I got from Lauren, Jimmy and Lorraine. I was overwhelmed. Any place in New York wouldn’t have done all that. You would have just been put in the system and left to run around in circles. But here, people are paying attention. I didn’t think that anyone in the world was going to care about me. Forget New York!”

Finally, a place to call “home”

On November 15, 2024, Gregory moved into his new studio apartment. As Michelle predicted, he qualified for the Rapid Rehousing program, which covers the rent and utilities for one year and allows the participants to settle in and save some money. As a client of Mercy Care, he already has established a support system. “For me, I gave in to the lowness of what life was, and then someone took my hand,” he said. “I got the right people with me now. I’ve never been so blessed to have met Michelle. By myself, it was like going against the devil.”

Michelle is equally optimistic about Gregory’s future in Atlanta. “Everything about him is just tip top to me. He’s reliable and we know we can count on him to become self-sufficient. I’m really excited for him.”

As for what’s next for Gregory, he’s looking forward to writing more songs and an autobiography about his life. He has discovered Waffle House and Sweet Auburn Market and would like to find a church community to join. He’d also like to find a place to do some fishing and maybe have a garden plot to grow some watermelons. With a peaceful countenance he said, “I want to be more than I been.”