When I arrived in this area, it was real cold out and I was sleeping outside.
 Bud, a 35 year old talented artist who recently moved out of the shelter, refers to himself as a "hobo". For nearly 20 years, Bud has traveled the country via freight trains, slept outside and battled alcohol addiction. "I've been an alcoholic for a number of years. I would drink a half gallon of vodka a day if not more. I was lost. I knew I had to quit drinking. It was my downfall." Shortly after arriving in Portsmouth, Bud decided it was time to make a change in his life. He had never been to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting before but took the leap of faith and went to a meeting. "I walked into the AA meeting and immediately three people came up to me and one of them was my current sponsor, the greatest guy ever." That night his sponsor helped him get a bed at Cross Roads House, and he continued to attend AA meetings every day. After a 5 ½ week stay at the shelter, he has now headed back to Michigan to reunite with his family who is anxiously awaiting his arrival. He intends to help his mother run her small farm and support her while she cares for her husband who is critically ill. "I never stayed in contact with my family ...through the years. It sure was nice to hear that they were really excited about me coming back. I feel like I'm about to grow roots." 
In his short time at the shelter, Bud received many supportive services which he appreciated. In addition to attending daily AA meetings, he received medical care from Families First Health & Support Center & Healthcare for the Homeless and counseling support from Seacoast Mental Health Center. "I've never had a physician who knew me and my history like I've had here. I've seen them routinely since I've been here." He is working to maintain his sobriety and feeling optimistic about his future. "I've been more sober here than I have been anywhere in my life in the past 20 years." As he reflected on the time he spent at Cross Roads House, he noted how the staff was so supportive and truly seemed to care about him. "Everyone I've come across [at the shelter]... are here to help people." Bud has stayed at many shelters where he felt like people didn't care about him. "Here I feel the staff really care and they want to see people succeed and that's one thing I feel is truly special about this place. That's really tough to find anymore."  He also explained how much he appreciated the volunteers who served dinner each night and the donors who helped provide him a gift bag of Christmas presents. During his time at the shelter he gained twelve pounds. "The food is great and what I love most is you never walk away from dinner hungry. For the people who come in to volunteer...I can see they are here for a purpose, and I made sure to thank them every time. This year's Christmas was one of the best I've had in years. It was really nice to hear that I was getting some presents! One thing I appreciated most was that the gift bag came with lots of socks which are so important to people [like me] who don't have anything. It was really awesome." Bud is a talented artist who was recently featured in an article in the Portsmouth Herald. "Art is always going to be part of my life. I want to inspire people...they can use different types of mediums to create art. Spray paint is not just for graffiti." Two examples of his art work are included in this piece. Bud is grateful for the help he received at Cross Roads House, especially his case manager Jessica. "You guys truly have a lot of understanding." When he walked out the shelter door for the final time, his parting words were the same as they'd been during his stay when he said goodbye to Jessica. "See you later sister!" | 
