In His Own Words: Sylvester

Sylvester, also known as Langston, is a regular guest of St. Vincent de Paul who can be found eating in the dining room. He is a former guest of our shelter. He always said, “If you don’t see me, it’s because I found housing.” We are happy to say he has found housing through Veterans’ support and we hope to still see Sylvester and his smile come by our West Oakland direct service campus!
“I always came to St. Vincent between November and April and I would sleep underneath the cross. But in April the shelter would close, and I would need to sleep under a bus stop. It was hard. A man tried to attack me there. Now the shelter is open year–round and what a blessing that is. Now if you need a place to lay your head you know you can count on St. Vincent. I am a Vietnam veteran. I served three tours of duty.   
“But now I have just gotten a place for homeless vets with medical problems and I can stay for two years! I have a spot on my liver that keeps growing and I just had extensive surgery on my kidneys. They help you with everything. They also help you get transitional housing.  
“When my granddaughter got killed in a car accident, I was in a grieving period for over a year and the Veterans helped me and St. Vincent helped me. It was a very difficult time. It almost killed me. I needed a place to lay my head and St. Vincent was here. Now I attend groups at the behavioral center to get my mind right. I am very grateful to St. Vincent de Paul.” 
 
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