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I have never in my entire life ever thought that I needed assistance.

You know, I’ve always been self-sufficient but there came a time when I did need help.

I actually had a business, my own business and I was having difficulty

making my child support payments and I had been in jail a couple of times.

I talked to the State Attorney for DHS and she told me,

“Paul, I have this program that you qualify for it,”

and of course, I had no idea what it was or anything.

She directed me to talk to Ken Hartin with the Court Liaison Program,

the Child Support Enforcement Program.

He gave me some job leads and I told him what was going on with me,

you know, that I was homeless.

All I pretty much had was the clothes on my back.

He loaded me--after we had this interview and I filled out some paperwork--

he loaded me up in his car and drove me down here to TEEM.

The Associate Director, Michael Jackson, talked with me and right away,

just immediately I could see that they were really trying to help me.

All I had to do was follow through and just follow a little direction and

just cooperate and it wasn’t that difficult.

I just had to do the next right thing.

I had never, ever applied for the SNAP Program and it was just so helpful.

I mean, I didn’t have to be hungry.

I mean, I was going to work and wasn’t even able to eat before that.

There are so many, with the economy the way it is right now, there are so many people--

you see people that are homeless everywhere.

There are so many other people that are less fortunate than I am.

It’s just good that the State provides a service like that; it’s really cool.

I’m actually able to give of myself again and

it’s just because of the help that I’ve received.

I really feel like I’m part of the family again.

My daughter told me here a while back--she’s in the military--

and I was going through all this trouble.

She talked to me when I was in jail and I told her how proud of her I was and I told her--

I said, “Honey, I want to do something to make you proud of me.”

And, when you folks came through the door a while ago I was a little bit overwhelmed.

I went over to the phone and I called my daughter and I was crying and

I said, “Baby, here it is. I’m doing something now to make you proud of me.”

I had the clothes on my back a month and a half ago.

I’ve regained employment.

I have a place to live, I have food, I have security and I have my family and my life back.

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