I started using crack after my honorable discharge from the Air Force. I felt my life was empty. I became a male prostitute and a predator for people with money off and on from 1990-2013. Crack cocaine and Jack Daniels made me feel better, gave me a feeling of usefulness. I was tired of being on the street, tired of selling my body to men and women. I had contracted HIV—I thought I was going to die from AIDS.

I finally came to the Boulevard, a shelter for homeless people with medical issues. I go to a meeting at Above & Beyond addiction treatment center every day and share my experiences, strength and hope so that others don’t have to make the same mistakes I made.