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.

"What do you wish people knew about you?" I asked Oriel McCarthy upon meeting him. "My talent. My ingenuity. My perseverance... That's more than one." He said without missing a beat. I realize now, after getting to know Oriel McCarthy during our interview, that his talent, his ingenuity, and his perseverance (perhaps most of all) are the qualities that define him. Because of Mr. McCarthy's talent, ingenuity, and perseverance, he was able to overcome every obstacle in his path. "I started from the bottom and now I'm half-way there," he told me. "I couldn't have done it without Gateway." Oriel McCarthy was born in Jamaica in 1963, but moved to the United States via New York City with his family when he was 12 years old. He attended school in Brooklyn, where he spent his most formative years, but left New York in 2006 for Atlanta. "Things were good for me when I first started," he explained, "but I caught a charge in Atlanta in 2009 and was then incarcerated. When I got out 5 years later in March of 2014, I wound up being homeless." Oriel, like so many young men and women, found himself lost, alone and without resources after being released from prison. He began living on the streets for several months, sleeping frequently in an abandoned house in East Point. Oriel also has a mental health diagnosis, which increased the strain put upon him during this time. Luckily, Mr. McCarthy had a counselor who, after learning his story, referred him to the Gateway Center. GWC, unfortunately, has only a finite number of program beds available each weekday morning and space is highly coveted. Each day a line begins outside our doors around 4am and continues until 7am when program intake officially begins. Oriel, being the tenacious soul he is, waited in line for 4 days in a row at 5am each day before finally making it into a program spot on the 5th day. "Thank God Amanda and Kayla [Assessment Case Managers] made the decision to give me a chance," he said. Since coming to Gateway, Oriel McCarthy's life has turned a corner. He describes his experience at the Gateway Center as a positive learning experience. In his words:

"People cared about me here. Amanda [Case Manager] has been real good with me. She's worked with me. At first all I had was my green card and birth certificate. Since I arrived here I've got my state ID and I got a job. Everyone's been so positive with me. I have a lot of appreciation for Gateway because if it wasn't for this place, I wouldn't be on my feet--or even half-way there."

Mr. McCarthy was hired by a Jamaican restaurant on MLK and has already gotten a raise. He's a hard working man--always going above and beyond what is asked of him, even during his time at the Gateway Center.

"I was doing a lot of chores and caring hours because I wanted to give back. I used to put in--what was required? 4 hours?--I was giving 12 hours a week. I appreciated that there was food on my table, a roof over my head, and clothes on my back. In society you have to work for these things, so I felt the least I could do was show my appreciation and give back. I did what I had to do and the light opened up at the end of the tunnel."

Today, with the help of his Case Manager, Amanda Van Dalen, Oriel McCarthy is in affordable housing at the Welcome House, but he has his sights set even higher . . .

"I have a bank account now and my goal is to save enough to get my own apartment. I would like someday to be able to volunteer my time and come back to help the rest of the people here. I want to get a car and travel to see my family in NYC because I miss them a lot. Someday I might start my own business. I feel good about my positive direction and intentions. I started from the bottom and now I'm half-way there."

We couldn't be more proud of you, Mr.McCarthy! Your Gateway family is rooting for you every step of the way!

By Emily Emshoff We are happy to be sharing the success story of Zachary Leach, a previous client at the Gateway Center who was a part of the Veteran's Program and is now stably housed and self-sufficient. Zachary Leach came from Philadelphia to Atlanta in 2009 with the hopes of finding a job as a longshoreman in Savannah, Georgia. When his plans began to veer off course he found himself living in Atlanta longer than planned, with no job and no income. Zach began to live off his unemployment benefits, which lasted for two years. As his source of income began to dwindle, he found himself going down a path that was leading to a life he had never imagined for himself. “I never thought I had a drinking problem. I knew I had a drug problem, but I had stopped doing drugs in 1989. Turns out, I was substituting one drug for another when I turned to alcohol.” After living in an apartment for four months for free, the landlord told him he either had to start paying or leave. “I ended up staying in an abandoned house nearby. My depression set in, and I began to drink more heavily.” After taking advice from one of his friends, Zachary visited the Veteran’s Administration. He told them he was experiencing homelessness and an alcoholic. After visiting a few different shelters, he was referred to the Gateway Center in April 2013 and joined the Veteran's Program. “From the day I walked in the door at Gateway, I did everything they asked of me. I worked hard and eventually became a Residential Assistant. I finally had options for my life.” Zachary began attending school at Cutting Edge and became a certified barber and cosmetologist. After being an RA for seven months, Zach is now self-sufficient. He will be starting his new job as a barber, and he is in the process of moving into a two-bedroom condo downtown. He has also been sober for 11 months. “I can honestly say that Gateway has given me a great life. I no longer smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol; I don’t even eat red meat!” After living on his own for six months, Zach plans to return to Gateway and volunteer. He wants to help people who are in the situation he was once in. Zach says coming to the Gateway Center was the best decision he has ever made. “If you want a new beginning, start here.”