"I give them an A+."

An A+ is what Aldren gives the staff at Berkeley Food and Housing Project’s Multi-Service Center (MSC). Right now, Aldren is the happiest he has ever been in his life. He no longer lives on the street, he no longer “messes up” his money, and he’s no longer “screwing up,” as he puts it. Thanks to the case managers at the MSC, Aldren has a pleasant one bedroom apartment, his bills are paid, and he has made new friends at the Quarter Meal.

Life wasn’t always peaceful this for the 56-year-old Oakland native. After spending six years in the U.S. Army and working full-time in security, Aldren was proud of his home with its shade trees in the back yard. As a loving brother, he helped his family when they had problems. Life was good until …

… until the night he parked his car only to face the wrong end of a robber’s loaded gun. He immediately raised his hands and said, “I’ll give you anything you want. Just don’t shoot me!” But when he reached down to press the automatic trunk opener, his attacker pulled the trigger and shot Aldren in his left leg.

Gangrene settled in his leg; forcing doctors to amputate it below the knee. Unable to work and depressed, Aldren eventually lost his home. He stayed in every shelter in the East Bay eventually making his way to our Men’s Shelter, where he learned that the case managers at the MSC were helping homeless men and women find permanent housing.

One day, while at the MSC for the Quarter Meal one of the case managers asked Aldren if he wanted to be part of the housing program. Against the odds – having lost his leg and his job – Aldren was able to save enough money for a security deposit, first month’s rent and some furniture. “It took me a year to get in,” but eventually he was able to secure a safe, affordable apartment. He credits MSC Manager Sharon Alford, and case managers Raymond Smith, Sister Linda Berlanga and Nell Austin with his success, “They’re great people.”

The MSC staff notices the transformation Aldren has gone through, and how he made up his mind to change his life for the better. “He is a gentle, kind-hearted man,” says Sharon Alford, and adds that he has maintained his housing and comes to the MSC for the Quarter Meal to supplement his income. Aldren is grateful for all that BFHP and its donors have done for him, “I tell people, ‘If you have the time to make changes, come down.’ They helped me and they continue to help me. I give them an A+.”