The Faces of Haley House

Beneath its many different social justice programs rests the fundamental goal of Haley House: to value the inherent dignity of each and every human being. Many people are a part of this single mission, whether directly or indirectly, and in the end, everyone involved with it finds that his or her life has been changed in an incredible way.

Jeremy Thompson, catering manager at Haley House Bakery Cafe, shared how Haley House gave him the "fresh start" he needed. "I'm a firm believer in first, second, third chances…whatever you need to get back up," Thompson said. "Never let your faults define you—it's how you progress." Before being incarcerated, he worked at a law office, a real estate agency, and even at Citizen's Bank Investment. To strangers, his life may have seemed perfect, but Thompson said that he was dealing with unresolved family issues at home. "You look at all these things and you say, ‘What was wrong with this person's life?' But you always look from the outside in, and you think everything looks beautiful. But when you look at a person's insides, you see that they're dying," Thompson explained.

He began to keep company with friends he grew up with in the projects: people who sold drugs, carried guns, and broke the law. "I was bound to do the same things," he said. A close friend, envious of Thompson's double life, shot him six times. Thompson decided not to report it, but when he threatened Thompson's daughter and her mother, he finally pulled the trigger. After spending time in jail, he was depressed, as no one would hire him. He couldn't even get a job at McDonald's. After serving time again for selling drugs, his lawyer told him about employment opportunities through Haley House. "It wasn't easy," he said, "but I was willing to work from the ground up. It's a joint effort. They're willing to work, but you have to make that change too." Haley House has allowed Thompson to be "involved with a caring community while earning a sustainable income." It has enabled him to learn lifestyle changes that he could pass on to his children: "You want them to grow up and live better than you did," he said. With a radiant, genuine smile on his face, Thompson affirmed, "Haley House shows you a love for people. You learn what the world is about."

Joe Bartley expressed similar sentiments of gratitude. A graduate from the Transitional Employment Program (TEP), Bartley is now supervisor of wholesale and production at the Bakery Cafe. He spent 12 years in the federal system, found himself in the Coolidge House, and soon after, learned that Haley House was conducting interviews for employment. "Haley House was it for me," Bartley said. "We were both born in 1966, so I think I'm here. This is my place." He shared how Haley House gave him a second chance for life. "It allowed me to be a productive father and grandfather ... I was blessed to come to the Haley House," Bartley said.

Peter Leary, a 63-year-old resident of a Haley House apartment, divulged his emotional story about his ongoing battle with alcoholism, but trying to be light, he added, "I'm Irish and probably should have an alcohol problem." Leary was extremely reflective as he explained, "Ending up homeless was all self-inflicted. I couldn't see myself living without alcohol." He struggled to maintain a job: "I drank myself into the streets more times than I could count."

"The first time it happened, though," he said, "was a huge shock for me." He was 39 years old at the time, and he attempted to get arrested—he figured that spending 30 days in a correctional institution was better than having to "sleep out under the stars." The second time he found himself homeless, he decided to accept the cold reality. "And by accepting it that one time, I accepted it a whole lot of other times too," he said.

Eventually, Leary heard about housing options through Haley House. "Because of the life I led, I've been in a lot of rooming houses, but none of them would put up with me … so having this beats the hell out of living on a heating grate," Leary said. During the four years he has lived in Haley House apartments, he said, he has binged about 12 times. "I've got this endless history," he said. "It doesn't seem anything will stop me. I've got a daughter and grandkids, and I love them … but even that won't stop me. I just hope I can muddle through this." Leary's sincere narrative is different from Thompson's or Bartley's, but his story is a reminder that everyone struggles in a different way, and Haley House's mission is to be there for those people. "We do what we do to enable people to work out their problems safely and with dignity. We'll be there to celebrate, but we'll also be there to sustain," said Noreen Manzo of Haley House.

Clearly, Haley House has affected people's lives directly through their programs, but it has also significantly influenced the lives of those who serve. Two members of the live-in community, Albert Ramirez and Jon Klein, discussed how serving the less fortunate altered their outlook on life. Ramirez joined the community after graduating from St. Louis University in 2011, instead of going to graduate school or taking a job. He was inspired by an internship he had done his senior year in the Philippines with the rural poor. After realizing that "people do not choose the circumstances they are born into," Ramirez wanted to discover "how empathy works and how [he] could use compassion as a mechanism to find something in common with the homeless." He said that Haley House taught him, "There are an infinite number of layers behind an individual … if there are 70 guys in the soup kitchen there are 70 different stories."