Meet our Neighbor, Damani
At Dorothy Day House, we treat all our guests the way we would treat our own family. After making sure they have all their immediate needs met, our goal is always to get them back on their feet. What that means changes from person to person – but for Damani, the road back to being housed seemed semi-impossible.
“I came here from Florida for a job offer that ended up being a scam,” said Damani, “I didn’t have a backup plan.”
Damani, a former Marine, had been staying in a hotel when he promptly became homeless because of his job offer falling through.
“I lost everything – I was sleeping in abandoned cars, you name it. I was so hungry,” he continued, “I did not even have a sleeping bag. When I met Jessicah from Dorothy Day House, everything turned around.”
Jessicah Schoenfeldt, our Berkeley Community Resource Center Coordinator, immediately referred Damani to multiple housing resources. With the help of our network of local partners, we were able to make sure Damani had everything he needed – including clothes, a hot shower, food, groceries, and a place to stay – all in the span of 3 days.
“He is a great example of the many people we help who had something out of their control happen to them,” Jessicah said, “And I am so proud that we were able to help him the way we did.”
“I have never received so much kindness in my life – Dorothy Day was truly a ray of hope when I didn’t have any,” said Damani, “The people here work from the heart – they go above and beyond.”
“I am still climbing the mountain, but I am through the tunnel. Now I can move forward. You can come here and get more than just food and a shower – you can get guidance. That was the most important part for me,” he continued.
Our Berkeley Community Resource Center is open 7 days a week, 365 days per year. If you would like to get involved, or would like to know more about our services, please call 510-705-1325.