"When my wife died, that was the end of everything."
Ed and his wife had been living in the seacoast area for many years in a house they owned. After his wife, who was employed at
a local hospital, got gravely ill with cancer and died quite suddenly, Ed could no longer afford the mortgage on his own and he lost the house. He was unable to work since a work-related accident and multiple heart attacks left him disabled.
After he lost his house, he ended up living in his car. His only asset became both his transportation to doctors appointments and his home for nearly a year. "It was miserable living in the car. No matter how many blankets you use, it's still freezing," Ed recalled. "I thought it would be easy, but it wasn't. It was a really bad time."
Ed got into a car accident that left him with several broken ribs. After the accident, he met with a welfare officer who referred him to Cross Roads House where he began the process of getting back into permanent housing. Once Ed arrived at the shelter and got settled in, he began working with his case manager. In addition to helping him get copies of necessary legal documents like his birth certificate and social security card, she also helped him get on a senior housing waiting list.
After about a year at the shelter, he secured an apartment in a local senior complex where he is happily living and still receiving supportive services that were originally set up by his Cross Roads House case manager. "I wouldn't have got the apartment if it wasn't for my case manager. I wouldn't have known where to go. It worked out alright in the end."
