PHOENIX — A Phoenix man experiencing homelessness discovered a lifeline when he was diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer earlier this year, finding not just medical care but a path to sobriety and self-worth at Circle the City's Medical Respite Center.
Todd B., who asked that his last name not be used, had been living on the streets for decades when he received the devastating health news in January. The cancer diagnosis came after he had already battled colon cancer, adding another layer of challenge to his already difficult circumstances.
"Drugs, alcohol, I couldn't pay rent," Todd said, explaining what initially led him to homelessness. "Even if I had the money to pay for rent, I probably would have went and bought something else."
Now receiving care at Circle the City's Medical Respite Center, Todd has access to meals, shelter, medical treatment, substance use intervention and behavioral health services. He credits the program with saving his life.
"I got emotions when I got sobriety, and that's one of the biggest gifts that was given to me is being able to feel," Todd said. "Coming in and accepting help from people was hard, and the fact that I had a hard time trusting people."
Walking through the facility brings back memories of his journey. Todd acknowledges he still has flashbacks to when his struggles began, but now he's on a different path.
Circle the City was founded in 2012 by Sister Adele O'Sullivan, who recognized a critical gap in Phoenix's healthcare system for people experiencing homelessness.
"The biggest gap in Phoenix was there was no place for the sickest to go," O'Sullivan said. "So, if you got out of the hospital with a fresh surgical wound, pulling an oxygen tank or unstable heart failure, whatever it was, there was nowhere for you to go but the street or shelter."
The organization now operates two respite centers serving 100 patients, providing medical care combined with what O'Sullivan calls "added humanity."
When asked about the key to helping people transform their lives, O'Sullivan pointed to her staff's approach.
"What I'm most proud of is the compassion our staff really meet people where they are when they come in the door, wherever it is that they are that brought them here, they'll meet them there," she said.
For Todd, the transformation has been profound. The program has helped him develop something he hadn't felt in years.
"The belief that I'm worth it, that pride when I do look in the mirror and say I'm proud of myself, I feel that, and I didn't feel that for a long, long, long, long time," Todd said.
