{"id":7839,"date":"2021-01-11T14:02:13","date_gmt":"2021-01-11T14:02:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/persevering-in-the-right-direction\/"},"modified":"2025-05-26T11:22:22","modified_gmt":"2025-05-26T11:22:22","slug":"persevering-in-the-right-direction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/2021\/01\/persevering-in-the-right-direction\/","title":{"rendered":"Persevering in the Right Direction \u2013 Jeffrey\u2019s Story"},"content":{"rendered":"
Photo by Jeffrey Zoccole
\n<\/span><\/h6>\n
<\/h6>\n

For Jeffrey, hard-work and perseverance have always been a part of his story. Growing up, his childhood was filled with family fighting and alcoholism. Yet, his work ethic led him to become a freestyle skier. That is until the trauma in his childhood led him to a life of substance abuse and being in-and-out of jail.<\/span><\/p>\n

“I had nowhere to go”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cWhen I first moved from Ontario to Calgary I was living with roommates. One night, I was drinking and it caused a fight,\u201d Jeffrey explained. \u201cThey kicked me out and I had nowhere to go.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s when Jeffrey had his first encounter with The Salvation Army.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI wandered around until a security guard pointed me to The Salvation Army shelter. I stayed there for a month and a half while I worked as a welder until I was able to get my own place.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A decade later, Jeffrey\u2019s cousin mentioned there was work in Halifax. He took the leap and moved across the country, but the pattern began to repeat.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I got there, my relationship with my cousin broke down. So, I started going to A.A. While I was in recovery, I was staying with a coworker until that relationship broke down too. I was also grieving the loss of my mother at this time. Then I was in and out of many shelters in the city.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s when Jeffrey found himself wandering again, living on the streets and out of a tent in a provincial park. That is until someone recommended he turn to The Salvation Army\u2019s Centre of Hope in Halifax.<\/span><\/p>\n

“At The Salvation Army, you can get hope”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cI took part in The Salvation Army\u2019s Rapid Rehousing Program<\/a>. I stayed for two months and worked through the addictions I was struggling with. I had to walk away from the life I was a part of to get back on the right track. I wanted to be on the right track and The Salvation Army helped me get there.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Salvation Army\u2019s Centre of Hope offers compassionate service through a men\u2019s shelter, substance abuse programs, transitioning housing, daily feeding programs and community family services.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey looked at me like I was human, like all people fall down and I could get back up. My whole family walked away from me because I was experiencing trouble, but The Salvation Army didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Today, Jeffrey has once again persevered. He now has his own place and is working towards his goal of becoming a published writer and even owning his own publishing house, while he works on rebuilding relationships with family members, such as his uncle and his daughter.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m working on a reflection of art book. I take pictures of reflections in mirrors and glass,\u201d he explains. \u201cTo me, this is like our memories. I add poetry into it to bring it full circle.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jeffrey says he is grateful for The Salvation Army and wouldn\u2019t be where he is today without the support he received over the years.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI really enjoyed the time at The Salvation Army. Receiving three meals a day at the shelter made such a difference than when you\u2019re living on the streets. When you\u2019re hungry you\u2019re not thinking properly. You think about the addiction and become stuck in it. At The Salvation Army, you can get hope.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Learn more about Salvation Army programs and services<\/a> in the Maritimes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Photo by Jeffrey Zoccole For Jeffrey, hard-work and perseverance have always been a part of his story. Growing up, his childhood was filled with family fighting and alcoholism. Yet, his work ethic led him to become a freestyle skier. That is until the trauma in his childhood led him to a life of substance abuse […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7840,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"location":[],"class_list":["post-7839","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-interest"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPersevering in the Right Direction \u2013 Jeffrey\u2019s Story - Salvation Army Atlantic<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/2021\/01\/persevering-in-the-right-direction\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Persevering in the Right Direction \u2013 Jeffrey\u2019s Story - Salvation Army Atlantic\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Photo by Jeffrey Zoccole For Jeffrey, hard-work and perseverance have always been a part of his story. 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