How one bike helped Edward build a future

When the pandemic shut down the world, it also destroyed the life Edward Rodriguez had built for himself. Before the crisis, Edward lived a stable and comfortable life working as a ranch hand in Big Bear, California, a job he loved and that surrounded him with the beauty and serenity of the mountains. When the pandemic started affecting businesses, Edward lost his job and a cabin he called home. 

With few options left in California, Edward decided to take a chance on a new beginning in Arizona. Around the time the pandemic began, a friend offered him a place to stay. Edward saw it as an opportunity to start over and rebuild the stability he had lost. He packed up and headed to Arizona, hopeful that the fresh start would lead to a better future.

During his first few years in Arizona, things began to fall into place. Edward was working hard and had a place of his own.

Then, Edward lost his new job and was unable to financially keep his home. For more than a year, he lived out of his car until it broke down.

He took on multiple jobs, offering to do any construction or manual labor he could find nearby, but it often meant little pay. With nowhere else to turn, he started sleeping in a local shelter. Fortunately, his determination to keep going caught the attention of the staff who connected him with St. Vincent de Paul’s transitional housing program.

His arrival at SVdP's De Paul Manor meant a fresh start, much like the one he had originally hoped to find in Arizona after losing his cabin. 

“It was hard, but I never stopped,” Edward said.

De Paul Manor provides residents experiencing homelessness with a devoted bed, hygiene facilities, three meals every day, supportive services, workforce assistance, and financial literacy resources—all designed to help people move toward permanent housing and greater independence. 

“They saw that I was striving. I was wanting to change my life,” Edward said. “This is a really good place to stay and change your life.”

He was making huge strides, but transportation was still a large obstacle for Edward.

“I did need a bike because walking to go look for a job is just really local, or even a bus is just hard to get sometimes,” Edward said. 

Without a vehicle, he often had to walk long distances to get to work. His case manager, Liz Owens, helped connect him with SVdP’s bike program, which provides bicycles for residents and families in need.

The bike became a turning point in Edward’s journey.

“The bike helped tremendously because now it gave me more options to get a really good job,” Edward said.

The bike gave Edward the freedom to apply for jobs farther from SVdP’s housing campus and pursue opportunities that had once been out of reach. Today, he works for the city as a bus operator, earning a good income with great benefits and building toward his goal of permanent housing.

The bike became part of Edward’s daily life and even a source of renewed passion for his health. 

“It helps my cardio, it helps my heart, my blood pressure,” he said. “I'm really thankful.”

Edward is working more than 40 hours a week and has also recently purchased a car through his own hard work and savings. In just two months, he expects to accomplish another major goal of having a home of his own again.

Now, as a city bus driver, he has found a new way to help people who are walking the same difficult road he once traveled. He refers to this new opportunity as a ‘life-changing job.’

Edward offers help to many of the people he sees along his bus route who are experiencing homelessness or struggling to find stability. He shares the resources that helped him and offers encouragement to people who may feel unseen.

“There’re people out there too that are trying to change their lives, and a lot of them are unseen,” Edward said. “I touched a lot of people's lives, and that's what I wanted—to help people, and this way I could give back.”

Edward believes something as simple as a smile can be the beginning of hope. 

His own journey has taught him that a second chance is possible, but it takes determination to make the most of it.

“I’m thankful for St. Vincent de Paul in a lot of ways. It helped me,” Edward said. “For somebody who wants to change their life, it’s been very beneficial.”