Here’s the happy ending, or actually beginning, to Jon’s story. He has been a resident at AIDS Services of Dallas for the past eight years. ASD provided not only a roof over his head, gave him legal counsel, shuttled him to doctor’s appointments and the pharmacy, supplied him with meals when he was too sick to cook, offered companionship and counseling, and most important of all, restored his sense of dignity, worth and purpose.

Jon is a native of New Orleans and served in the United States Navy. In 2003, he became hospitalized with three different infections, each life-threatening. While at the Veteran’s Administration Hospital of Dallas, he was taken under the wing of a social worker who introduced him to ASD and within three weeks of being discharged, was safely and comfortably ensconced in an apartment.

Looking back at the experience with unbridled gratitude to ASD, Jon Paul says, “Without a place to live and food to eat, all the doctors, medicine and treatment doesn’t do much good.”

While he had been in the hospital, he faced eviction from a less than compassionate landlord and had completely depleted his savings – he was literally without a place to live until ASD appeared as his Guardian Angel. ASD offered the time and a place to heal without the worry of paying rent. Today, Jon Paul, like many residents contributes back to the facility in which he lives, based upon his level of income.

He is a seasonal designer, a florist by trade, and a vocal spokesperson for AIDS Services of Dallas. His story is just one of literally hundreds that was made possible by the generous and continuous support of ASD.