This Thanksgiving season, Clayton knows exactly what he’s thankful for: friends like you who helped pave the way for him to land on his feet. Clayton has seen — and been through — a lot in his 55 years. And he’ll be the first to tell you that many of his problems have been a result of his own choices. He grew up in a loving family, but before he was a teenager, Clayton decided he was going to play the role of The Rebellious Child.
“It started out with skipping school,” he says. “Then doing other things I shouldn’t have been doing, like smoking weed and drinking.”
By his 20s, Clayton had transitioned from user to dealer. He was living in a nice home and had a lot of nice things — things that seemed attractive to rival dealers.
One night, there was a home invasion, and Clayton was shot twice. He was only hit in the legs, so he survived and recovered. He says God protected him from more serious injury, or worse: “I’m blessed to be alive.”
But it wasn’t enough of a wake-up call to leave that lifestyle. He kept it up for decades, spending time in and out of jail and prison.
After a 2014 release, Clayton has been free ever since. He never went back to drug dealing — “That’s the old me,” he says. Instead, he took on honest work as a landscaper and was doing well until early 2022, when a layoff eventually led to homelessness.
A friend pointed him to Sulzbacher, where he’s landed on his feet. He’s now working part time and saving money for a new place.
“The Good Lord steered me this way,” he says. “They gave me a bed and meals, and they’re helping me find new housing. I’m grateful.”
Thanks to your help, many more of your neighbors have reason to be grateful!
