As a construction worker with a carnival, James was able to travel across the country and Canada to see many wonders the countries had to offer. While in South Dakota for work, he met one of the greatest wonders: the love of his life.
After eloping, the newlyweds moved back to James’ hometown of San Marcos, bought a house, and James stopped traveling with the carnival.
Heartbreakingly, his marriage dissolved, and James’s ex-wife moved back to South Dakota. Without her to come home to, he decided to go back on the road and work for another carnival. While building a carnival set in Colorado, he was gravely injured and was flown to Austin for surgery.
“I was back home,” he said. “But the bills didn’t stop. When you can’t work, you can’t provide for yourself.”
A year after his surgery, James was still experiencing severe pain. After meeting with doctors, they discovered his leg didn’t heal right and prescribed a second surgery.
But, like a snowball rolling down a mountain, the medical problems kept piling up quickly. After his second surgery, his leg began to swell and leak blood.
He returned to the hospital where he received harrowing and potentially life-threatening news: “You have a twelve-inch-long staph infection that reaches all the way to your bone. It’ll require more surgeries to remove the metal plates.”
A dozen surgeries later, James’s leg was finally healing, but he had depleted his savings to pay for the medical care. Although he was on disability, the checks weren’t enough to cover his remaining hospital bills or the rent in Austin.
“I was forced into a situation I couldn’t control; you know?” he said. “I watched the house go, the car go, and I was left with nothing but questions. What can I do? Where can I go?”
With nothing left to give and nowhere to stay, he experienced homelessness for five years.
“I was sick of that life,” he said. “The heat is unbearable, and there’s no way to cool down or take shelter from it. You start to lose hope and feel like you don’t matter.”
He filled out a Coordinated Assessment, connected with Caritas of Austin, and moved into his new apartment weeks later.
“I didn’t believe it at first, that it was really happening,” James said. “I wasn’t holding out much hope, but my case manager picked me up and moved me in. I don’t think I went outside for two days.”
Now that he has the foundation of a safe place to call home, James is focused on rebuilding other parts of his life, like recovering his ID that was stolen while experiencing homelessness and searching for employment opportunities.
“I’d love to be able to work full-time someday,” he said. “With my leg, I’m not sure if that will ever be possible, so I’m looking for something part-time now.”
We can only provide safe homes and resources for people to thrive because of the support of generous community members like you. Together, we’re creating a future where no one experiences homelessness in Austin.
