"I never was looking for a handout, just a hand up. And look at me now."
Nathaniel is a hard-working painter in the Bay Area. However, when bad weather began to significantly slow his business, he didn't know what to do.
"The Bay Area experiences a lot of rain and most of my work was exterior work. If it had been a dry winter, it wouldn't have been a problem. Rent, cable bills, PG&E, food, insurance... I just got swamped."
He remembers feeling an overwhelming burden at the loss of his income and stability. "I don't know how many times I sat out on my balcony and my face was just soaked with tears."
Nathaniel visited our East Bay offices and met with Senior Housing Services Case Manager, Delia. She knew exactly what to do.
Catholic Charities was able to provide assistance to cover Nathaniel's back-rent and utilities bill.
The services were provided with a sense of understanding and without judgement. He remembers "there was never any condemnation for it. It was hands open. 'What can we do for you?'"
In the end, Nathaniel was able to avoid becoming homeless, "I have a place to stay because of Catholic Charities. They helped me. They blessed me."
"God used Delia to bless me," he says, and looks forward to paying it forward. "Hopefully, through all of this, it'll be a blessing to somebody else."
