From the Streets to His Own Front Door
By Maureen Dyman, Communications Director
Army Veteran Nathanial Jacobs closed on his first home last month. For most people, that's a day filled with boxes, a moving truck, and maybe a housewarming party. For Jacobs, it meant something far bigger: a place to call home after four or five years of not knowing where he'd sleep at night.
“I am still shocked that I was able buy my own home once I started accepting help from the right people,” he said. "I have never seen the kind of love I've seen here," he said of the staff at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center's Community Resource and Referral Center (CRRC). "The people at the CRRC truly care in such a special way."
A Rough Road After Service
Jacobs served in the military for a decade. When he got out, the transition back to civilian life didn't go the way he'd hoped. He was in and out of jail, struggled with drug addiction, and eventually found himself living on the streets and, when he could scrape together the money, in motels. That lasted four to five years.
The first time he walked into the CRRC, he wasn't looking for a life-changing program. He just wanted a shower.
A Door That Opened Other Doors
What started as a practical stop at the CRRC, became a daily habit. Jacobs kept coming back, and the staff kept showing up for him. He connected with Cornel Sims, a peer support specialist at the center, and the two built a relationship that would carry Jacobs through the hardest and best parts of his comeback.
One of the first breakthroughs was small on paper but truly enormous: the VA helped Jacobs get a government-issued ID. He'd gone years without one, and without it, so much of ordinary life, like housing applications, medical appointments and job applications, had been out of his reach.
"Once I got that ID, doors started opening," Jacobs said.
From there, a team of VA employees at the CRRC went to work helping him build toward something he hadn't let himself imagine in a long time: a home of his own. They also connected him to VA healthcare and stayed by his side through every meeting, every form, every step of the process.
Sims, in particular, didn't just point Jacobs in the right direction; he walked the whole road with him. He attended meetings alongside Jacobs and he, along with social workers Emily Winfield and LaTishe Ridioux, were there on his house closing day to see it through to the end.
“Mr. Jacobs had a good spirit from the beginning," Winfield said. "He came in with a great attitude and was so determined to get a home. It was our pleasure to work with him."
Closing Day
In July, that determination paid off. Jacobs closed on his own house, a place with his name on the paperwork. After spending years without a fixed address, having his own space is something he doesn't take for granted.
These days, he still stops by the CRRC, not because he needs anything, but because the people there have become part of his life. He credits his faith for leading him there in the first place.
"Everyone there has a special connection to Veterans," Jacobs said. "That's what makes it different."
What's Next
Jacobs isn't slowing down. He's looking for part-time work and plans to stay closely connected to his VA care team and fellow Veterans; the network he says has kept him on track and will keep him there.
For the staff who watched him go from a man asking for a shower to a homeowner sitting at a closing table, the moment was one worth celebrating.
"We were thrilled to celebrate with him," Winfield said. "This is exactly why we do this work."
For more information about the Community Resource and Referral Center at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, call