The Road to Recovery
The Arizona sun beats down on the sidewalk as Eric Heizelman enters a small recreation room and pulls up a chair. It’s another hot day in the Valley of the Sun, and it is days like this that Eric knows well.
A roofer by trade, this Phoenician spent the last thirty five years working around the sun’s schedule. “In the summer, I would be up at three in the morning to make it to the job site by four. I’d be on the roof before sunrise and done with the day before it was too hot,” Eric says with a chuckle. “Of course, that was before everything happened.”
Upon meeting Eric there are a few things to know. First, Eric has an infectious laugh. It’s hard to miss. It is one that fills up a room and pairs well with his incredibly positive disposition. Also, Eric is a proud veteran. He served 6 years in the army, a time he remembers fondly. But more importantly, Eric is homeless and has been so for a year and a half.
Eric was injured on the job. “It was a spider bite on the roof that actually started my demise,” Eric explains. The bite caused major medical issues, and as it worsened, landed him in the emergency room. After an intense surgery, a hospital stay and antibiotics, Eric was on the road to recovery and released to homecare. But his relief was short-lived. After he was discharged, Eric was faced with another problem: paying rent. With no way to work, no health insurance and expensive medical bills piling up, Eric was in trouble. Eventually, he was evicted from his apartment and sent to the streets.
After a few days on a friends couch, Eric knew he had to find something more permanent. He needed more than just a place to stay; he also needed medical assistance to heal after his surgery. This is when he turned to the Central Arizona Shelter Services (CASS). There, he was able to get medical care from Circle of the City. “I was at Circle of the City for 10 months, and they are a Godsend. They offer really great medical and healthcare for the homeless,” Eric explains. “They’re the ones who sent me here to Ozanam Manor.”
Ozanam Manor is St. Vincent de Paul’s transitional shelter for men and women over 50 or with disabilities. It offers a safe space for these individuals to gather resources, find a job or seek family support. Over 60 percent of residents successfully gain self-sufficiency and move into a permanent home.
Eric has been at Ozanam Manor for a year and half and is thankful for a bed to rest in every night. “My time here has been nothing but a blessing. Ozanam is not like any other transitional housing. Here, they respect you. I didn’t even know this place existed.” Eric says. “I’m trying to heal, to get back to work, and Ozanam Manor has given me that time. Other places wouldn’t do that. What they do here, it’s called human kindness and I am so grateful.”
During his time at Ozanam, Eric has received the help he needed to get his life back. After a long and slow process, Eric’s surgery wounds have healed. With new dentures and glasses from St. Vincent de Paul’s dental and medical clinic, Eric finally feels ready to get back to work.
Looking back on the past year, Eric reflects on the journey and the help he has received from SVdP along the way. “St. Vincent de Paul has been the biggest, heart opening, eye opening experience of my life. This is finally the first time where I’ve found something where it makes sense because it’s a society of people who care, and that’s what makes the difference,” Eric says with a smile. “This is all blessing. Every drop of it is a blessing, the food, the place, everything. Pass it on. Take it for what it is and do what you’re supposed to do and pass it on.”
Before this experience, Eric was unaware of how homelessness affects individuals and the Phoenix community. Moving forward, he wants to help others find their way out of homelessness. “On weekends, I’ll go up where I used to live and see homeless people that I know, and tell them that there are programs like St. Vincent de Paul that can help. I want them to know that they don’t have to feel like they’re stuck. They just need to try.”
