07/29/2026
I first became homeless when I was in my mid twenties. I was living on the streets of Florida and addicted to drugs. I started using co***ne as a teenager, and by the time I was 24, I was smoking crack. I very quickly lost everything.
I had lost both of my parents to he**in addiction by the time I was 21, so addiction was something that ran in my family. Since I no longer had any family besides my aunt, who lives here in New Mexico, I was all alone and didn’t care whether I lived or died.
I spent the next 20 plus years living on the streets. I went in and out of incarceration. I’ve been beaten up, shot, stabbed, and had my head cut open with a machete, not to mention the unspeakable things that I’ve done.
One night, I was on the phone with my aunt, and she told me that she knew exactly what I was going through because she had been through it herself. She told me there was a place that could help me, but I had to be ready to completely change my life.
About a month later, I woke up in an alley, lying in my own blood and urine. I couldn’t remember how I got there. A week later, I was on a plane, and the day after I landed, I arrived at Steelbridge.
For the first time in more than 20 years, I understood why God didn’t let me die all those times that I should have been dead. I was welcomed with open arms. No one looked down on me or made me feel ashamed.
The counseling groups have helped me overcome the pain and suffering that I have experienced all my life. My caseworker has helped me get my personal documents in order, receive medical and dental treatment, and even helped me build a game plan for employment and housing. The directors and RAs have helped me regain structure in my life.
Most of all, I’m building a relationship with God. God has kept me from death so many times, and yet I resented Him, even hated Him. Now I thank God every day for bringing me here and saving my life. -Ronald
