2023 Success Story: Thomas S.

Join us on Thursday, May 4th at 6pm for The Doe Fund’s Ready, Willing & Able Graduation Ceremony. Celebrate the incredible achievements of our trainees who have overcome immense obstacles to secure stable housing, employment, and overcome addiction. Among them is Thomas, whose inspiring journey is proof that Work Works and that we work Better Together.

Seven years ago, Thomas Strouble was walking down 155th Street when he first saw the Men in Blue sweeping the sidewalk. For many people, this first contact plants the seed of transformation. Perhaps someone thanks a trainee for his hard work, imparting the validation — too often for the first time in that trainee’s life — that he is valued, that he can contribute to the community, that he is worthy of recognition. Perhaps someone in need of a room and a job to pay for it inquires about what the men are doing, where they’re from, and how he can join the program. For Thomas, seeing the Men in Blue sparked something within him — a realization that he, too, could find purpose and direction.

As he continued to see the Men in Blue working in his neighborhood, he found himself growing more curious about their efforts. Eventually, one of the trainees approached Thomas and introduced him to the program. Intrigued by what he learned, Thomas decided to join Ready, Willing & Able himself, marking the beginning of his journey toward a new path.

It was in the program, according to Thomas, where he learned that he needed to take better care of himself first so he could one day take care of his family. And it was there where, for the first time, he found mentors and role models who looked like him, who had experienced the hardships he experienced — and who had come out on the other side.

“I listened to their stories,” said Thomas. “They weren’t too much different from mine. And it made me realize that I can’t help my family and my kids if I’m on drugs, so I must stop and get it together before I can help them.”

The encouragement and support of these mentors kept him committed throughout Ready, Willing & Able: “The people that were in the program at that time, they were messengers. What they talked about was always positive — ‘You can do it, let go of where you’ve been, this is a new chance, you can change, you can make it.’… They made you feel like you were a team. I’m so grateful. Eternally grateful.”

It isn’t a coincidence that trainees are surrounded by leaders with the same lived experiences. In fact, 70% of The Doe Fund’s Program staff are Ready, Willing & Able graduates. In the words of Nazerine Griffin, Senior Director of The Doe Fund’s Peter Jay Sharp Center of Opportunity and a 1997 graduate, “Who better to lead a man out of a minefield than someone who has walked through one himself?”

Thomas walked through minefields his entire life. The youngest of nine neglected siblings, he was raised in a dysfunctional family with no father and an abusive mother who passed away when he was a child. For a while he was a runaway; he stayed in Covenant House youth shelters until he aged out. Not long after, he entered the drug trade to survive.

“I used to drive from upstate and come down to New York, Spanish Harlem, to get slabs of cocaine, take them up there, break them down, and sell them,” said Thomas. “Eventually, I became a customer. Next thing you know, I was smoking and in and out of rehabs.”

Throughout his life, Thomas experienced tremendous loss. “My twin brother died by suicide. I lost a daughter to HIV. I lost a sister and three brothers,” he said. But according to Thomas, his saddest memory was when his young son looked up at him and asked him for something — a couple dollars for the ice cream truck or McDonalds, a toy, anything. Thomas reached into his pocket… and all that was inside was crack.

It was in Ready, Willing & Able, with the help of others who had overcome enormous personal tragedy, where he was able to turn his pain into great accomplishments. It’s no wonder why he feels such pride in his work as one of the Men in Blue.

“I was like, ‘Wow! I can work, get money, and the program helps me save money,’” he said of starting work in The Doe Fund’s Community Improvement Project, which cleans 115 miles of NYC streets. “In no time, I started talking to my kids again, feeling like somebody because I was no longer lost and bouncing all over the place.”

He continued, “Being in Ready, Willing & Able, I was given responsibilities. Next thing I know, I’m on Madison Avenue cleaning — and putting my name on it. So I was picking up every cigarette butt and getting to know people, and they were getting to know who I was. I became proud of my work. After a while, people started to recognize me and my work. So many people offered to buy me lunch. It was an incredible feeling.”

Thomas had already been clean and sober for several years before joining Ready, Willing & Able. Nevertheless, he credits The Doe Fund for his successful recovery. That’s due in part to our unwavering commitment to our graduates — summed up by the phrase “Doe Fund for Life.” We are a family that never turns its back on the men we serve, especially if they fall on hard times.

So when, years after graduating, Thomas found himself homeless and jobless again, he knew where to go.

“I had a massive heart attack during the pandemic,” Thomas explained. “I was lucky to be alive, but I lost my room and job because I was in and out of the hospital so much. That’s when I returned to Ready, Willing & Able. By the grace of God and the program, I was offered a job at the Department of Homeless Services as a Resident Assistant. Now, I’m back to living a good life.”

When asked what lessons and values he wishes to pass on to his children and grandchildren, Thomas told us, “Be better than me. Get an education… Give respect cause you’ll get it back. People will treat you how you treat them.”