I write this letter to share my recent experience at Amherst Community Connections. Hwei-Ling Greeney and the workers there helped me when I was down. They helped me get back on my feet. I want to bring attention to what they did to help me because I am grateful for it all.
I used to be middle class, then a couple of years ago I got down on my luck. I hit a rough patch. My marriage to my wife of 18 years ended. Shortly after that I lost my job and then the room I was renting. I found myself homeless for part of the time. The rest of the time I was staying with family. This was a situation I never thought I would be in. I’m a positive and ambitious person, so this was hard for me. All I needed was a little push.
I was fortunate to have a couple of people as a support system. One of them told me about Amherst Community Connections and referred me to them.
Last December, I started going to the drop-in hours on weekday mornings at their One-stop Resource Center in the basement of the Unitarian Universalist Society of Amherst. Case workers helped me with things such as searching for and applying to affordable housing, applying to jobs, and even getting my license back.
Now, three months later I am back on my feet. I have a job at Amherst College and I have a place of my own once again. I am forever grateful for what they did to help me. When life gets you down like that it is hard to come back.
I just needed a push, a little help, and that’s what they gave me. I don’t regret my experience. I am proud of where I came from and what I went through. Even today I still drop by to say hello and thank them for what they helped me to do for myself. I also stop in to visit with participants to serve as a role model and show them just what they can do for themselves with the help of the wonderful people at Amherst Community Connections.
Pedro Ayala Jr.
Amherst