Growing up in the Bronx wasn’t easy for Ricardo. He only ever knew his father behind bars; when he was four years old, his dad was imprisoned for armed robbery.
“I grew up in a very dysfunctional household in one of the worst neighborhoods in New York City,” Ricardo told us. “I was influenced by drugs — by my own family — at 12 years old. They made that lifestyle seem like it was okay.”
Like many of the men we serve, Ricardo spent his childhood hustling on the streets to support his mother. And like many of the men we serve, Ricardo became trapped in the vicious cycle of addiction and homelessness.
He slept in the subway and on park benches — where he was robbed and beaten multiple times. He overdosed 27 times. He knew he needed to turn his life around.
“Drug addiction is both a physical and mental battle,” said Ricardo. “You have to reprogram your mind. It’s like a war inside your body: half your body says no; half your body says yes.”
After three years in the shelter system, Ricardo was able to moved into The Doe Fund’s Muller Residences, a four-story supportive and affordable housing facility where he has access to on-site supportive services, including comprehensive case management, drug and alcohol prevention services, and parenting classes. “After five years of being in shelters and on the streets, this has been a blessing,” Ricardo told us. “I have a great apartment. The Doe Fund gave me life again — I’ll never forget that.”
Living at the Muller Residences has allowed him to remain sober and reunite with his children. The effects have been transformative.
Ricardo knows how important being part of a community is to recovery: while he was still in the shelter system, he operated the food pantry at Bailey House. It’s one of the many reasons he’s so proud of his son and daughter, who do advocacy within their own community.
Ricardo beams at the very thought of his children. “Being a father is like getting a medal of honor from God,” he said. “That’s my award of appreciation from the powers that be: my two children. They’re my life, they’re my heart, they’re everything to me. They both have great hearts and help out their community, and I think they take after their dad because their dad is just like that.”
Ricardo’s children are just as proud of their father for maintaining sobriety and becoming the best version of himself. “What I love most about my father is that he is resilient. We all have struggles in life and he has never let any of his define who he is,” said his daughter. “He is also very empathic and able to connect with people from all paths of life.”
In The Doe Fund and the Muller Residences, Ricardo has found more than a community. “A good family is where your heart is,” he said. “That’s where it begins. It’s like a family unit here at Muller… This has become my adoptive family. The other tenants motivate me to stay on the right track.”
For Ricardo, the difference since coming to Muller has been life-changing. He’s one year sober from alcohol, and thanks to The Doe Fund, he was connected to the support services he needed to get on Suboxone and recover from his opioid addiction. He even just quit smoking!
“His life has changed drastically since moving into the Muller Residence,” said Ricardo’s daughter. “His health is getting better and he is slowly growing into the father he used to be. The support he has received and the community that has welcomed him has helped him get his life back on track.”
Ricardo said, “I just want to say thanks to The Doe Fund. They really do make a difference for us homeless people. The staff has been very supportive and understanding and don’t ridicule us addicts. They treat us like people, and it’s wonderful.”
He continued, “I have good people around me and ever since I started doing the right thing, good things have been coming my way. Everything’s been falling into place, because life starts with a place to live.”