Qualified
One month ago, we were able to send one of our young men home. He had decided to leave the life on the street. With great expectation, he boarded his bus and was off. It would only take a few hours to be back were his life began. A possible fairy tale ending to a nightmarish story seemed to be playing out.
When I look back on this nineteen-year-old young man, I see a boy that began his street life at age eleven. He has had numerous encounters with the police he has gone in and out of jail, used alcohol and other drugs extensively. Seemingly, street life is all he is qualified to do. Just over the last few months he moved out of state and began dealing drugs and stealing. He says he was very good at this endeavor. Money became as common as the smog that filled the air. Woman, cars whatever he needed were literally at his fingertips. It seemed he had found what he truly is qualified to do. He awoke one morning to find a tooth that had fallen out during the night lying beside him. When he examined the rest of his teeth, he notices they all showed signs of great decay. He knew this was a symptom caused by the enormous amount of drugs entering his body. He was terrified. At that moment, he decided to go home.
After contacting us and making the plans, he was on his way. He arrived home safely and all seemed to be going great. That is until mom’s new boyfriend laid down the get a job or get out notice. He gave a two-week maximum for our friend to get a job or out he had to go. Our friend looked for a job but to no surprise, his qualifications did not match any requirements on the job market. With his possessions strapped to his back, he arrived back here returning to things he feels qualified to do, living on the street, dealing, stealing, and drinking.
What do you tell people they are qualified to do?