“I am 73 years old, and I guess I shouldn’t be living on the streets.”

Those were a few of his words during our conversation.

The first time I met Jeff, as everyone calls him, it was the winter of 2013 during the homeless count that took place in the city of Long Beach.

Our volunteer group came across him as we were canvassing our area along the 710 freeway. Jeff was living in the concrete flood control channel where the Los Angeles River flows, inside an enormous concrete drain.

In there was his bed, a bicycle and the few possessions he had. He shared with us that every time it rained, the drainage system would loudly open, and as they quickly evacuated, he would witness all of his belongings being washed by the rain. That is the place Jeff called home for more than 15 years.

Once we completed taking his information, we found out that Jeff was a Navy veteran who had served in the Vietnam war.

During that year, the housing policy had changed to “housing first,” and a group of organizations in the city had teamed up to provide housing for homeless veterans who would be willing to be housed during the homeless count.

Jeff decided that it was time for him to change his living situation and took our offer to move him into a new home. We then arranged transportation for him and decided to wait.

We did not want the transportation to not be able to find him or for him to change his mind, so, we waited. Finally, the vehicle that would take Jeff to Century Villages at Cabrillo arrived. There, he would be receiving housing and case management services.

A few weeks went by, and I saw Jeff walking down the street shouting and cursing, “I hate this place.”

I was surprised. I expected him to be in a better place mentally, but that was not the case for him.

I got the opportunity to visit Jeff’s new home a couple days later. As I entered, I observed post-it notes all over his wall. Every one of them had a quote written on them– one of them read:

“I have gotten from there to here.”

It was then when I got a moment of clarity. I wanted more for Jeff; I wanted him to succeed. I wanted him to be in a better place, but for Jeff, it’s day to day.

It’s the little victories that are meaningful: making his bed in the mornings, getting along with his neighbors, going out for a walk.

Those things are wins for Jeff. It’s been five years since this took place, and I am glad to know that Century Villages at Cabrillo is still home to Jeff, and for that, hats off to him.

Story by Alejandro Sosa, IT Lead, Century Villages at Cabrillo