From Homelessness to Homeownership
April 2006
by Stephenetta Harmon, Information Writer (Spokesman Recorder April Issue)
“Dale
Jovan Rodriquez ”
Dale Jovan Thomas is in search of a guayabera. Considered to be a reflection
of maturity in his Cuban background, he is eager to sport this simple four-pocketed
shirt and share his biggest accomplishment of growing "from being a little
boy to a mature man."
At 27, being mature should be a given, but mind state, and not age, drive his
definition.
Just less than a year ago, Thomas was homeless and jobless in a state without
any friends or family. He had relocated from Florida in hopes of starting his
life anew. He has a felony record related to drug sale and could not find a
job in technology.
"I got here because a friend of mine told me there were good jobs on Minnesota.
I decided to buy a one way bus ticket and make it happen," said Thomas,
with a distinct southern drawl. That was in June 2005. Two weeks later, after
an argument with his friend – "we did not see eye to eye," said
Thomas – he was homeless.
"Instead of going back to a state where I didn't see any economic opportunity,
I had to make my present situation work."
And he made it work. In a span of seven whirlwind months, Thomas was hired
in the Field Technology Support Organization at Ameriprise Financial, bought
a three-bedroom house (for his future family), sits on the Hennepin County
Community Advisory Board on Homelessness and is a member of Homeless Against
Homelessness.
Thomas attributes some of his success to the "constant system of support" he
had from family back home and the friends he made here. I had people saying,
'if he falls, we will be there to pick him up. If he makes it, we will be there
to celebrate him.' Either way, they're going to be with me. That's the
key thing – even after purchasing a home and getting a nice job."
He found an emergency shelter, known as "the tramp camp" – a
Secure Waiting Space for the homeless in downtown Minneapolis, where he stayed
for two weeks. From there, he participated in the weekly shelter lottery offered
by St. Steven's, Simpson and Our Saviour's housing organizations in which as
many as 100 individuals vie to 'win' a bed for 28 days.
"It happened to be my first time. I got lucky and my name was picked." Getting
into St. Steven's "was the best things" that ever happened to him "The
advocates don't treat you in the traditional social service sense. They were
very supportive."
After a three-week stint at Steven's, Thomas moved to the House of Charity
transitional living shelter.
While at the shelter Thomas was able to obtain a job in Target's technology
department. A week later, he found an even better paying one. And, with the
help of his mother who sent him $250 once she realized he was serious about
changing his life, he was able to purchase a cell phone, open a bank account
and pay his rental application fee.
"I got approved for an apartment. Then I thought, if my credit could get
me an apartment, why not try for something better? So, I applied for a house
through Mortgage Professional Services Group and was approved."
His friends and family thought he was crazy, but he persisted. "The rental
market here is not cute. The rents I saw were equivalent to the mortgage prices.
With my new job, I couldn't qualify for a low-income housing. So, I figured,
if I am going to pay a $1,000 in rent to live in somebody else's space, I might
as well own my own."
After being approved, Thomas spent the next couple of months searching for
his perfect home. Last year, on November 10, he found it. "I saw
it and fell in love it. I made the offer the same day and closed on it 10 days
later."
Just getting stable and comfortable, Thomas now looks forward to sharing his
story and change perceptions on how the community views the homeless and how
the homeless view themselves.
"I didn't give up. I truly believe you have to turn tragedy in to triumph
in order to succeed. I didn't feel depressed when I was homeless." In
that perseverance, he found that creating the support system he found, was
one of the best ways for him to make a difference.
"Chronic homeless is not always due to just chemical dependency or other
issues," Thomas said. "It's also an issue of having a system of
support. Usually, when people leave the shelter where they're at, that's when
they fall into a relapse state. Homeless Against Homelessness (HAH) was the
perfect place for me to be at, because I wanted to help me and they already
had the framework in place. It was a real nice place to come together and create
strategies to address homelessness."
Comprised of six active members and an administrative liaison, HAH meets bi-weekly
to address homelessness issues. The liaison, Joseph Lang, is also Thomas' mentor.
Thomas would love to be a mentor himself.
"If I was able to do what I did, so can other people. I was unemployed
in the state of Florida for three years. We did not have a good tech market,
but I couldn't continue to blame others. Accountability equals accomplishment
and IO decided to take accountability for what I did and use my social skills
that I possessed, but didn't use."
"I learned, breaking up with my ex-fiancée, that I had poor relationship
skills. I learned from working at my jobs, that I was not the easiest person
to be around. I learned from being homeless that I had a story to share and
I could help someone who is where I was. My actions do affect the people around
me. If I make it, I can a give other Black people my story."
In telling his story, however, Thomas wants people to see it's the change in
him and not in his material possession that's worth talking about.
"I really would not like for people to look at my material possessions,
because they can be lost tomorrow. I want to be able to talk to and share my
experiences with someone. I want people to know that they can achieve their
maximum spiritual and mental capabilities. I just hope that my future involves
helping people and bringing social change to the world," said Thomas.
"Above all, I am really thankful that I made that passage to maturity," he
said. "I can wear my guayabera now. You always see the mature man with
his hat and guayabera on."