David spent decades trapped in a cycle of self-destructive behavior. Crippling addictions to alcohol and cocaine left him homeless, enduring the harsh realities of life on the streets of New York City. All that changed in 2020, when he “got sick and tired of being sick and tired” and made the life-changing decision to join Ready, Willing & Able.

Becoming one of the Men in Blue was a big adjustment. “I went from kicking the bucket to pushing the bucket… that dreaded bucket,” David told us. “I called it ‘paying my dues.’ But I learned more about myself, and about the world, doing that than I had in the last 20 years.”

David completed the program and is now a Certified Peer Specialist at Argus Community, where he helps others struggling with addiction and homelessness recover just as he did. But to him, what’s most important isn’t even this fulfilling job or the apartment he calls home. It’s being a father to his two seven-year-old twins, of whom he’s in the process of regaining sole custody.