Tim M. - Homeless Helping Homeless

Tim M. is a 45-year-old man in Alabama who has overcome homelessness. Tim shared that he was raised in a relatively good family. His parents were married and he had a sister 11 years older than him. They played lots of music growing up, but his dad was a chronic alcoholic. Tim's sister got married as soon as possible to move out and get away from their father, causing Tim to grow up with almost two moms due to the age gap with his sister.

When Tim was 13, his parents divorced after 27 years of marriage and he moved in with his mom. Unfortunately, his mom could not control him, so he was forced to move in with his dad, who did not put in any effort to raise him, so he just "ran wild". He began drinking alcohol, smoking marijuana, and doing prescription drugs. Tim mentioned that the State of Alabama raised him after 14.

From 19 to 29, Tim played music professionally until he received his first felony in his early 30s for 7 counts of conspiracy to commit a drug-related crime. At this time, he quit smoking marijuana but continued using other substances. In 2019, Tim was charged with 4 felonies that were dropped down to 1 in 2021 for breaking and entering.

Tim's homelessness started in the Summer of 2019 when his drug addiction got worse. Since he lived in a very small town in Alabama, the police knew who the drug addicts were and would search them constantly. This contributed to Tim's long periods of probation.

On November 12, 2019, Tim went to a homeless shelter 30 miles out of town. This shelter was in a new county, so he had to switch probation officers. His new officer was far more strict and required him to get drug tested. After testing positive for various substances, Tim's probation officer sent him to a 21-day treatment center and then to a 90-day halfway house. Here, Tim realized that he was entirely functional while sober and that it was time to do something with his life.

Tim has now been sober for 4 years with no pending charges. He is also the Community Coordinator for Stepping Stones in Alabama!

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