09 September 2015

Through the generosity of friends like you, The Salvation Army’s Adult Rehabilitation Center (ARC) and the Emmanuel House stand as beacons of hope here in Santa Clara County. Through these programs, men seeking to recover from homelessness or addiction find a full range of services, a caring staff, and the tools they need to achieve success. Below, we offer the testimony of Steve Moreno, one of many program graduates, who today leads a productive life because kind people like you open your hearts to others.

My addictions started when I was just 11 or 12. I was trying to be part of the “in” group. It began with marijuana. By the time I got out of high school, I was using cocaine.

By the mid 1990s, I was a full-blown meth addict. I couldn’t maintain a job. I was getting arrested for possession, public intoxication, things like that.

What changed my life was something that happened when I got out of prison in 2008. When I was let out, the first thing I did was go and do more drugs, violating my parole. My parole officer pushed me, because she knew that with one more conviction, I’d get 10 or 15 years. She said to me, “Let me help you get help.” And I agreed.

I was at rock bottom, but I didn’t see it until she opened my eyes to it. So on June 3rd, 2008, she drove me to The Salvation Army’s Adult Rehabilitation Center (ARC) in San Jose.

I went there, and I stayed there. I found other guys who were going through the same thing I was, and it helped to know that I wasn’t alone.

The program there is 100 percent structured. I began to understand my addiction, and what it does to a person. I went to classes for anger management and other issues. I found a staff that was caring, patient, and really wanted to help me. I found God, and through Him, I began to believe that I could really do this.

With work and faith, I made it. I was able to graduate from the ARC. From there, I went to The Salvation Army’s Emmanuel House, The Salvation Army’s transitional home for sober living in Santa Clara County. I was able to continue my recovery here, and on top of that, I was able to get a job working there.

In 2010, I became a soldier in The Salvation Army, as a way to proclaim my faith in God, and to help others.

Today, I can say that my life is blessed. I have a job at another shelter helping families overcome homelessness. I live in my own small apartment, which I share with my sister. And I still go back to the Emmanuel House to volunteer, to try to help others the way they helped me. Best of all, I have God, and my sobriety.

The Salvation Army completely changed my life, from a full-blown drug addict to a responsible citizen. I’m grateful to them, and I’m so thankful for the people who give to them. Whatever donors give, whether in money or another type of donation, it will be used to transform someone’s life. Not just through this program, but through all of The Salvation Army’s programs. Thank you all so much.