One cold night, Manny Gomes sought shelter in a cardboard box inside a dumpster to keep warm. Before he knew it, he was being tossed into the back of a garbage truck and crushed by the truck’s machinery. “I yelled and yelled, and finally the driver heard me and took me to the hospital. I almost ended up in the landfill.”
Manny’s injuries included a broken pelvis, leg, arm, several ribs, punctured lungs and head injuries. “I was in the hospital for about 4 months; I had to learn how to walk again. They put a cast on my leg and gave me crutches, and then I was back on the street,” he said.
Six years later, his life has completely changed. “I was at a soup kitchen when I learned about the House of Hope CDC...I was tired of living in the streets, and I knew I needed to turn my life around.”
Established in 1989, the House of Hope Community Development Corporation is an invaluable resource for Rhode Islanders in need of temporary and permanent homes and supportive services. After four years living at Hope CDC, Manny moved into an apartment in the newly developed Thomas Wilbur Homestead, part of Hope CDC’s spectrum of options for Rhode Islanders transitioning out of homelessness. The Homestead is partially funded with HOME funds administered by Rhode Island Housing.
“The property is beautiful...We cook for ourselves, clean for ourselves, and have our own space. I feel like I am on my own. It’s a little scary; it’s a lot of trust. But we still have an amazing support system,” Manny said of the House of Hope CDC’s counselors and staff.
“The people at the House of Hope CDC have helped me survive,” said Manny. He isn’t sure what his future holds but is considering going back to school for social work. “One day at a time,” he said.
To learn more about Rhode Island Housing, please visit their website.
For more information on the HOME and Supportive Housing Programs, see our advocacy page.
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