Meet Jamie.

Growing up in Moncton, some of his earliest memories are of his family being precariously housed. “I moved around a lot as a child, jumped from couch to couch, and went to almost every elementary school in Moncton,” he explained. Most months, his mother never had money to pay rent, food, and other bills, often leading her to pick and choose what they would have to live without that month. To make matters worse, Jamie recalls the places he lived being filled with drugs.

Once Jamie and his siblings were old enough, his mother moved their family to Toronto to escape the life that was here. It was in Toronto, however, that Jamie’s drug use and life of crime began to intensify. He started using crack at just 13 years. By 16 years old, Jamie explained “… I became a full-blown crack head and couldn’t say no to any drug that I was offered. This led me down a path of crime to help feed my addiction. I was later charged and entered a maximum-security prison for youth for what I had done. “

Once Jamie left prison, he chose to move back to Moncton because his life of crime and substance abuse put him in a dangerous position. Upon arriving in Moncton, Jamie’s addiction and criminal activity worsened, leading him down a road of 20 dark years. Because I was in and out of jail and around the homeless community, I often heard about Harvest House Atlantic,” Jamie explained. “After living in a halfway house for a while, I decided to apply and got accepted into the Transitional Housing program at Harvest House!”

Jamie has been housed for over two years now and has recently completed the Peer Support Worker program. We are thrilled to announce that he has now joined our team at Harvest House as a peer support worker in our shelter! He is extremely happy to be working at the shelter because he knows so many of the people in our community.

Those who knew Jamie in his past now find inspiration in seeing his current success.

“This is not only the first time I have been out of jail this long, but it is the first time I have been clean this long. Jamie said. “… because of this community, I’m encouraged to go a step further and help those around me.”

**The following story represents the personal experiences and views of the participant. It does not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of Harvest House Atlantic or any individuals mentioned. Shared with permission.