Success Stories

German Leon left his home to join the army when he was just 18 years old. Now 53, Mr. Leon has been displaced from his family for over 22 years. Until today, that is. On Friday December 4th, Mr. Leon and his care team huddled together and waited for his sister to arrive. After weeks of searching, Gateway's staff discovered a connection to Mr. Leon's family through Facebook. 22 years' estrangement later, the room was quiet with anticipation. Mr. Leon looked down and fiddled with his jacket's zipper, looking up occasionally to ask how far away his sister was. "Not long now ..." said Tonya Boose, Gateway's Sr. Programs Director, "The drive from South Carolina takes a while." "This day came faster than I expected..." German thought out loud. The whole room beamed. For the next hour, Gateway and VA staff who knew Mr. Leon sat together and exchanged loving stories about him. German laughed along shyly--his mind clearly occupied elsewhere as he waited for his long lost family member to arrive. Finally, German's sister was brought upstairs to Mr. Leon's dorm room where he waited. Staff gathered round and watched as the two exchanged hugs and hellos. What does one say after two decades' separation? German's sister pulled a small laminated ID out of her wallet and showed it to the group. "That's you!" she exclaimed to Mr. Leon, "Can you believe you were ever so young?" The ID pictured a younger and skinnier German Leon from his days serving in the army. "How did you get this?" he asked. "Our mother saved everything." she said. "What's the first thing you're going to do when you get home?" Tonya asked. "Sleep probably. Relax," said German Leon, "I won't have to worry about being cold anymore." "Everything is going to be okay." said his sister. The group gathered Mr. Leon's 3 suitcases, brought them downstairs, and loaded them into his sister's car. Final goodbyes were said before the two got into her car to drive away. "Thank you for everything," said Mr. Leon to his care team, "You all have helped me so much." We are so proud to have been a part of this incredible story. Congratulations Mr. Leon! We wish you the very best.

Mr. William Tolbert is living, breathing proof that it’s never too late to change. At the age of 66, after over 15 years of chronic homelessness, Mr. Tolbert experienced a 360° shift in his outlook on life thanks to GWC. Mr. Tolbert, an Atlanta native, passed by Gateway thousands of times before finally coming inside. He struggled with addiction all his life, served in the army before discharging in 1974, and became caught up in the criminal justice system, which led to his being repeatedly turned down for housing. Tolbert made several attempts at recovery throughout the years, but nothing stuck. That all changed on May 29^th, 2014. William received a medical diagnosis for depression and a doctor’s note which explained that his condition would improve with access to steady housing. As a result, Tolbert entered Gateway’s former Pre-Treatment program for addiction recovery. Under case manager Will Parish’s guidance, Tolbert learned about the nature of his disease and what it takes to overcome addiction. After graduating from Pre-Treatment, Tolbert entered into Gateway’s Upward Program, which offers fraternal support, day-to-day structure, and help with  job/housing search. “I came here with an attitude of indifference and intolerance,” William explains, “I was mad with everyone who tried to help me because they weren’t doing what I wanted right then. But before I left Gateway, I was working behind the [Client Engagement Center] Desk, so the shoe was on the other foot.” In fact, Tolbert discovered a deep love for serving others during his experience at Gateway Center. Gateway staff noticed quickly that he was a role model within the residential community, so Tolbert was invited to join the Gateway Center “Resident Assistant/Intern” program. It was through this role—supporting others who were entering into Gateway programs and attempting to end their homelessness for the first time—that Tolbert truly experienced a transformation. LaBaron Brown, the Resident Assistant Program Coordinator, had a huge influence. “Gateway gave me the opportunity to find out who I really was. Mr. Brown told us we had to reinvent ourselves—I’m 66 years old! It’s hard for me to reinvent myself, you know. But I learned that I had to be empathetic. I learned that I had to treat other people the way I wanted to be treated. I changed my attitudes and behaviors—and that’s what recovery is.” After almost one full year at the Gateway Center, Mr. Tolbert was hired by Crossroads Community Ministries to support others on their journey toward self sufficiency. And on April 27^th, William moved into his very own apartment! Today, he's reconciled with his family, children, and grandchildren and is working part time to help transform the lives of others the same way Gateway's staff transformed his own. “I’m overly grateful for everything that Gateway has done for me. I’m right where I’m supposed to be right now. I like going home to my own house. I’m truly happy. And I think this is what God wanted me to be all along. This is my vocation: to be a helpful servant. And the blessings just keep coming.”   Congratulations William Tolbert! We will miss your kind spirit at the Gateway Center, but are so proud of all that you’ve accomplished.

By: Sophie Beal Fredrick Payne (known by most as Fred) is an incredible and dedicated human being. He arrived at Gateway as a client, rose in the ranks, was hired, and quickly became one of our most valuable employees. Today, Fred is our 3rd Floor CSA, but is always willing to help out wherever he is most needed. Now that our Summer Interns' time with Gateway Center has come to an end, our 1st Floor Client Engagement Center requires extra help to compensate. Fred has not missed a beat--stepping up and helping our Lead CSA, Esque, to provide each person who walks through our door with the highest quality care. Fred approaches each new client interaction with patience and steady calm, often offering much needed advice and words of wisdom. During our interview, Fred was approached constantly and hardly had a moment to catch his breath long enough to answer my questions. He told one woman who was discouraged with her situation, "We all get tired, but we just can't give up." Thank you for your hard work, Fred! You've earned that trophy.   Where are you from? I’m originally from Atlanta, by way of California. I moved back to Atlanta when I was about 12-13 years old. Where did you go to school and what did you study? I went to Atlanta College of Business and graduated, then went to Georgia State and graduated with a degree in Management, and then went to Russ Institute and studied Security.   What led you to Gateway? I actually found the Gateway Center through one bought of homelessness that I went through over a weekend. I went to Peters Street. And one of the guys over there came up to me and said “You don’t belong here. This does not fit you. You need to go to Gateway.” I went to Gateway, entered the program, and eventually graduated. I was hired by Gateway and today I'm the 3rd Floor CSA. What inspires you most in your job? Helping people. Seeing them come back and acknowledge that I helped them in some way. That’s the best thing about it. When I see a client who was here once and they come back to remind me of what I did for them—that’s my reward. What is the hardest part of your job? Not being able to help someone in the way that they need help. Having to tell them no. One of the hardest parts was when I worked in the women’s and children’s center and they’d come in at 10:30 p.m. with children and we didn’t have space, so we had to turn them away. When you get discouraged, what keeps you going? Prayer. I have church members I call when I get to that point. Either that or I work out on my music on my keyboard—that lifts me up. What’s one memory of Gateway you’ll always remember? There are many memories I have from Gateway . . . Recently, there was a guy here who was ready to give up, but I talked to him just like I do with all of our clients. What started as a one on one turned into a group session and, low and behold, he listened. He decided to be patient, put the work in, went out there and found a job. Now he’s about to move into his own place. Another memory was when I graduated from the program the clients here threw a party for me. What do you like to do in your free time? I always tell the guys here—I never have any free time. I’m just as busy on the weekends as I am during the week. But when I do have time I watch movies, study, and work on my music. I do gospel, R&B, Jazz (but mainly Gospel). I perform every Sunday at church. Where is your favorite spot in ATL? According to my wife, my kids and my church members, my favorite spot is American Deli—but I think my favorite spot is actually home. If you could give one piece of advice to a large group of people, what would it be? Be patient. Keep focused. Keep the faith. Keep at it. Don’t give up. That’s what I keep telling the guys here. That’s what I’d tell anyone.