Lindsey

At age 72, Lindsey felt like he was finally living the good life. He had moved to Rochester from Lockport to his brother and sister-in-law’s home to assist his brother’s recovery after a knee surgery. It was a comfortable routine; he drove him to physical therapy and dialysis appointments and drove his sister-in-law to work. He also tended to laundry and household chores.

“We cooked together all the time, and sometimes the three of us even went out to dinner or to the casino. We were a small family, and I felt needed, wanted, and loved,” Lindsey recalled.

It was a good feeling after a personal history of addiction, incarceration, and strained relationships. But he also knew his brother to be strict about house rules. Then, after a year and a half of living in his brother’s home, he used the car overnight without permission.

“It was a big mistake, I knew it, and didn’t expect anything different when my brother asked me to leave,” he said.

Lindsey was given three months to find a new place to live, which felt like an impossible task. Most places had months long waiting lists, sometimes a whole year or more. A month later, he was still looking and his brother was still insisting he go.

“Then I made what turned out to be one of the best phone calls of my life,” he said. A conversation with Open Door Mission led to a referral to the Person Centered Housing Options website, where he filled out the online application.

“I have a heart monitor and was on medications for high blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes — and I was about to become homeless. I didn’t want to die in the streets, so I filled out the form and hit ‘send,’” he said.

The very next day Lindsey received a phone call from PCHO confirming receipt of his application. Two days later, he met an intake specialist at the public library to fill out paperwork.

“Before I left that day, God said to bring all my documents, cards, and proof of income, so I was ready with everything. We had a good meeting, and the intake specialist said, ‘I guarantee you, someone will look at this application, and you can call me to check weekly’,” he recalled.

Lindsey had felt skeptical but slowly began to believe.

“Just over a week later I got a call from a case manager who said apartments were available and asked me to go look with her. I was still feeling unsure and even tired of doing what other people wanted me to do, but then I heard God tell me, ‘I think you better go.’”

Joyce, a PCHO Housing Stability Coordinator, picked him up and, understanding his skepticism, said they could just go look and if he didn’t like it, they could look at other places.

“She took charge, and I really felt her spirit as we were talking, like she was on a mission for God,” Lindsey said.

They stopped at a one-bedroom apartment in a large house. It was nice, and he liked it. Joyce talked over terms with the landlord while he looked around. When Lindsey rejoined them, the landlord said he could come back the following Monday to pick up his key. Joyce and PCHO helped Lindsey set up his household with kitchen items, simple furnishings, and cleaning supplies.

“It was a natural, beautiful high,” Lindsey said, adding, “My whole life changed for the better in less than 30 days after that one phone call. For the first few months in my apartment, I just digested the experience of a miracle.”

Within the first year, Lindsey joined ROCovery, a supportive community for sober living, kept up with health appointments, and reconnected with his daughter, grandchildren, and ex-wife in Lockport — and began repairing his relationship with his brother.

He says of the entire experience: “I had the best of life, lost it, and now I have my own taste of heaven. Walking into this apartment reminds me of everyone at PCHO who helped me. God worked through these people to put me back in the race of life.”