When your on the streets it's not long before you are bestowed a street moniker -- a nick name, of sorts; and in David's relatively short time co-mingling amongst the Town N' Country homeless he was tagged "Big Dave".
I met David after he was referred to me for help by one of my earliest homeless candidates, Albert Swiger. Swiger, still to this day, associates with those that remain homeless and is my walking billboard: "Call Deputy Donaldson, he'll do what he can to get you off the streets." It was Swiger's simple pitch to David who pulled up on his bicycle to meet with me at a Racetrack gas station.
After meeting David for the first time it was his intermediate voice, somewhere between tenor and bass, that grabbed me the most and it landed him with the newly acquired distinction of "Big Baritone Dave."
The polished recast seemed to stick.
David was on the streets for a matter of months instead of years like most that we come across. The street engagement caught him sooner than later and is a testament to the benefits of early detection. The longer a homeless person remains homeless the harder it may be to solve his or her problem.
After a quick assessment of David's needs and circumstances I was confident that he would be a quick fix for recovery.
Our first stop was at Homeless Recovery on Tampa Street where a case worker named "Suzanne" asked about his job experience and working skills.
David has an affable gift of gab, hitched with his low-pitched delivery, making him a natural mouthpiece for persuasion. Within days he had at least one job offer as a telemarketer with a local company which he accepted and is still working there today.
He found a place to stay on his own and has been off the streets ever since -- just days after our first meeting. He didn't have a big problem to solve he just needed a little help in the right direction.
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