Jimmy’s phone rang with the tragic news. His mother had died in the July 2025 fire at an assisted living facility in Fall River, MA.

Already trying to stay sober and rebuild his life, it was a moment that could have broken him. But because of supporters like you, Jimmy didn’t face it alone.

Liberty House staff and fellow veteran residents – the community you help sustain – were all there to guide Jimmy through his grief and remind him that hope was still possible.

“I would not have been able to stay sober if I didn’t have this place,” he says.

The Call of Service

Growing up in Massachusetts, Jimmy idolized his uncle, who served in the Army during World War II. When the Gulf War began, he followed that legacy of service and joined the Army Reserve, serving two separate stints totaling 14 years.

Service was also his full-time job. Jimmy became a firefighter, then a paramedic and ultimately a police officer. For 30 years, he ran toward danger when most ran away.

But the weight of those years piled up silently.

“You see a lot of things every day and you don’t realize you’re packing it all into your head,” he says. “You act like it doesn’t bother you, but it does.”

After long shifts, drinking with fellow officers felt normal – until it wasn’t. The pressure at work grew. The pressure at home grew. And the glass he reached for each night became the only way he knew to turn off his thoughts long enough to sleep.

He lost his marriage first. Then came painful distance from his four children. After that was his home.

“I lost my family because of this,” Jimmy says. “My kids hated my drinking and I missed so much. I needed to change – for them and for myself.”

A Desperate Moment, A Lifesaving Answer

Jimmy retired from the police force and entered treatment on November 5, 2023. He made great progress and was even asked to help others as house manager in a sobriety center. Hope flickered again.

Then the center closed.

With no home, no car, and no plan, Jimmy made a desperate phone call to Liberty House.

“I told them I had nothing, I had to start over,” he remembers. “Five days later, they called and said, ‘You’re in.’ And I said, ‘You just saved my life.’”

Supporters like you made that “yes” possible.

Seeds of Stability

At Liberty House, the Manchester-based program where veterans rebuild their lives and leave addiction and homelessness behind, Jimmy was surrounded by staff who believed in him and veterans who understood him. Together, they rebuilt what alcohol had taken.

He secured his Social Security card and veteran benefits, opening the door to employment, healthcare access, and more.

He learned budgeting for the first time in his life, giving him control over his money.

He found steady work for a security company, earning a reliable income.

“I always struggled with my finances,” he said. “I made good money but didn’t have discipline. They taught me to follow a strict budget, pay off my bills, and start saving.”

The day he bought a reliable car, after months of saving, he gripped the keys like a lifeline to a new life.

Everything was finally moving in the right direction.

The Call from Fall River

Jimmy’s voice drops when he talks about the fire.

The shocking news of his mother’s tragic death could have sent him back to the habits that nearly destroyed his life.

But he wasn’t alone.

“The next morning, Liberty House was there for me,” he remembers. “This is a family. Everybody sticks together.”

With their support – and yours – Jimmy found the strength to go home for the funeral, seeing family and friends for the first time in nearly two years.

“I was so nervous,” he recalls. “But every person told me they were proud of me. I really feel that if something like my mom’s sudden death didn’t break me, nothing can.”

Healing, Purpose, and a New Beginning

When Jimmy came to Liberty House, his adult children weren’t speaking to him. Today, they have reconnected and they see the change in their dad.

“They can see I’m stronger,” he says. “And that the drinking is no more. I’m part of their lives again.”

With coaching and encouragement from staff, Jimmy made a career change and took a job with the Red Cross, traveling with a team that collects blood across northern New England.

“I’m helping save lives again,” he says with a smile. “I love it.”

And because of the financial discipline he learned at Liberty House, he reached the ultimate milestone: moving into his own permanent housing.

Every day at Liberty House, Jimmy passed a sign that asked, ‘What is your purpose?’ For months, he had no answer. Now, because of you, he does – serving others, reconciling with his family, and building his new life of sobriety and stability.

“I would not be where I am today without Liberty House.”

On November 5, 2025, Jimmy celebrated two full years of sobriety – strong, grounded and ready for the next chapter.

“Leaving here, I’m another year sober and so much farther ahead,” he says. “Because of Liberty House and our community supporters, I know I can do this. It’s only going to get better.”