Matt

Matt Looks Forward to Getting Married Next Year

Like a lot of kids, Matt went through some rough times due to bad decisions in his teenage years. Matt was hanging out with friends who were engaging in underage drinking, abusing drugs, and being rebellious toward adults and authority figures. He found himself to be a follower rather than a leader and this resulted in a bleak future outlook.

When he was 17, Matt was hanging out with a few of his friends, drinking and smoking marijuana, when someone decided that it would be funny to drive around town doing donuts in parking lots and leaving black tire tracks all over. It seemed like great fun until the police caught them in the act.

Matt’s “friends” convinced him to take full responsibility for the actions of the group — they claimed they could not afford to get in any trouble over the summer because they would be attending college soon, and since he wasn’t in school he had nothing to lose and should take the blame for this one. Matt agreed and spent a day in jail and paid over $500 in fines and court costs.

This was the type of negative behavior that was typical for Matt during those years, collecting over $2,000 in fines and ending up on probation. His troubles with the law continued to the point that his parents had enough and asked him to leave. Matt found himself homeless and living on the streets of Burlington County with none of his friends around to help him.

Crossroads’ Trinity Place Host Homes outreach program found Matt and got him off the streets and provided him a safe, clean place he could call home while he worked on his rebellious behavior, building a better relationship with his parents, and most importantly, on his self image and confidence. As he began making short and long-term goals his self-image and confidence began to grow. He got a job and began paying off his fines. By the time Matt left the program, he had a full-time job and the financial means to provide for himself and moved into an apartment.

While Matt was working on self improvement, he also took the time to work on his relationship with his parents. He knew he had lost their trust and that he would have to work hard to earn it back. As they saw more changes in Matt, they became willing to give him another chance.

Today everyone recognizes that Matt is a great young adult with unbelievable potential complemented by a drive and determination to accomplish anything that he wants. He is making much better choices in his life and learning how to ask for help when he needs it, and knows where to go to get it.

Matt remains connected to Trinity Place staff through the aftercare program. He does not follow a negative crowd and makes his own decisions. His relationship with his parents is stronger than ever and he is engaged to be married next year to a wonderful young lady, who has been a positive influence on him.

Matt states, “I was living a very fast and dangerous life before I found Crossroads Programs. Without the Trinity Place program I may have ended up in jail or dead. They helped me put my life back on track.”