Bradley's journey to improve his life now has him improving others'
“I was homeless during the pandemic and suffering from substance abuse. I was lost, really lost. I only viewed myself as what society said I was and I really believed that for a long time. At one point, I got COVID-19 and went to a recovery hotel. While there, I was slowly introduced to this team of people who were just like me.
“They would hang out with me during smoke breaks, bring me food and support me. I was also connected with a case manager who worked with me to help me establish my life goals. I remember being so amazed that these services existed. There are so many TNG services I use during and after that period, including the safe consumption site. They saved my life.
“After some time, I asked what qualifications these workers needed and what it would take for me to get them. My case manger answered all my questions and helped me apply once I was ready. I’ll never forget the day they called me and said I was hired. I walked down the street for the first time in ten years bouncing with every step.
“Now I use my experience and the skills I learned in peer training to help others going through what I went through. I work in SafeSpot, a peer program that hires people with lived experience of substance use and homelessness to work in shelters and provide harm reduction peer support. Without my experiences, I wouldn’t be able to help my community like I do now.
“No one understands substance use – they think people should just stop using. But it’s really a symptom of underlying mental health issues, pain and trauma. In SafeSpot, we know that better than anyone. That understanding helps us save lives by training shelter residents to prevent overdoses through education, watching when people use, and handing out harm reduction supplies.
“I feel joy when I help others. I see myself in all of them and I see their potential, just like others saw in me.
“Thanks to the people at TNG, I went from using substances and being on the street to working, having a home and rebuilding my family relationships. I was unemployable and now I have a steady job. This has been the greatest experience of my life. TNG has been miraculous!”