The center opened March 31, 1997, at 1385 Lamar Ave. It first began in 1994 as the Barron Heights Community Development Corporation. But its founder, the Breath of Life Seventh-Say Adventist Church, changed its name to reflect the need for physical, emotional and spiritual recovery.

The center has 40 beds. With three meals a day and 24-hour housing, residents such as Spencer Lockett and Alfred Bowens are thankful for a place to lay their heads — particularly during this holiday season.

They decided they’d talk about their lives and the possibility for renewal.

Spencer Lockett:

Journey back home

Spencer Lockett: “I’ll make the right decision...” (Photo by Wiley Henry)

It took Spencer Lockett about 30 years to realize he couldn’t fight the lure of alcohol and drugs without divine and human intervention. He tried and lost.

“I went through a divorce and lost everything,” said Lockett, a former corrections officer and retired Navy serviceman. “I had a wife, job and house. A judge took everything from me within the last two years. I was left with nothing.”

Lockett was married for 28 years to a woman he still calls his wife and friend. He still maintains a cordial relationship with her and his grown daughter.

“I was addicted to alcohol when I was in the Navy and addicted to drugs the last eight years,” said Lockett, 54. “I always said if I stop using alcohol and drugs, I’ll get my life back together and I’ll make my journey back home.”

Without a place to call home or a job to pay for it, Lockett finally hit rock bottom. He went to the Veterans Administration Medical Center for help. They sent him to Mission Global Ministries in Memphis. Then he stayed for a while at a mission in Jackson, Tenn., where he made $10 a week as a cook.

“I kept calling the V.A.,” he said. “And exactly one year from the time I went to Mission Global Ministries, they (V.A.) sent me to Barron Heights. Somebody told me about the program three years ago. I tried to get here a year ago.”

Lockett has been a temporary resident of Barron Heights for nearly a month now. He has been clean and sober for more than a year and is now in recovery.

He says he nearly succumbed to temptation in Jackson. But he managed to stay on the path of sobriety.

“It’s (Barron Heights) really helped me,” Lockett said. “I’m just thankful for being here. The program has helped me to be patient, and let the process work. The guys here are great and treat you like brothers.”

With help from the staff at Barron Heights and a greater spiritual awareness, Lockett said, “I’ll make the right decision and maybe go back home.”

Alfred Bowens:

A return to normalcy

Alfred Bowens: “I just have to deal with my issues...” (Photo by Wiley Henry)

While serving in the U.S. Navy onboard the USS Jason in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Alfred Bowens discovered he had a problem. Diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, he was honorably discharged in 1987.

Bowens had played football at Northside High School, graduated in 1984 and built his future around the Navy. But now his plan went awry.

After his discharge, Bowens sought job opportunities through job training classes. He landed several jobs thereafter, but most of them were temporary.

Now, Bowens is grappling with homelessness and trying to figure how to get his life back on course. He’s been homeless for three years. He lived in Nashville for 10 years and returned to Memphis in July.

“I had no income. I was married and now I’m separated. It was due to complication of service in the Navy,” he reasons. “I just have to deal with my issues before I’m placed back into the family home.”

The father of four children ages 16-22, a social worker at the Veterans Administration Medical Center referred Bowens to Barron Heights. He needed shelter and treatment for mood swings.

“I’ve been dealing with my homeless issues since I left Nashville,” Bowens said. He’s tried to get a disability check, but hasn’t been successful. Barron Heights has provided him with shelter for nearly three months.

Now Bowens hopes he can return to some semblance of normalcy. At Barron Heights, he believes he’ll get there by taking stress management and social skills classes. He also is learning to operate the computer.

Bowens said he’s living one day at a time and knows he has to work hard to overcome his mood swings. “I’m thankful that I’m getting counseling and the treatment at Barron Heights,” he said.

He also said he’s thankful to God. Once a week he attends religious services. “I’m getting closer to God,” said Bowens, pointing to the staff at Barron Heights as Good Samaritans.

“They’re trying to get me into housing after 90 days,” he said. “And then I’ll be eligible for Social Security and a V.A. pension.”

Thanks! Faith-based group helps to transition veterans back into the community

Just beyond the door to the Chapel Day Room at Barron Heights Transitional Center, a small group of veterans assembled to discuss their plan for healthier living.

They were eager to answer the 21 questions on a quiz that Deputy Director Arnold Green Sr. tested them on called “It’s Time to Make a NewStart.” The information came from an article by health enthusiast Pat Humphrey.

Arnold Green Sr. (left), deputy director of the Barron Heights Transitional Center, said the residents have an opportunity to reflect on the behavior that caused frayed relationships with family and friends, and make things right. During a group session Monday, he quizzed them on biblical facts. Spencer Lockett (right) is trying to rebound after 30 years of alcohol and drug abuse. (Photos by Wiley Henry)

George Moses relished the moment in Green’s group session.

Executive Director Coretta Perkins, often referred to as the mother at Barron Heights, says she has an affinity for veterans.

Barron Heights Transitional Center is located at 1385 Lamar Ave.

Spencer Lockett and Alfred Bowens participated in the discussion. They scored relatively high on the quiz, which Green intended to pique their interest in living healthier lives as the Bible advocates.

The quiz was an opportunity for residents to dialogue and comprehend biblical facts. But Green said there’s much more to getting them off alcohol and drugs.

“After being here for a while and separating themselves from others who are using drugs and alcohol, they’ll capture the (center’s) vision,” Green said. “And once they find there’s inner peace, they often times want to explore further to hold on to that peace.”

“We are a faith-based organization,” said Coretta Perkins, the center’s executive director. “It’s a small atmosphere. It’s more homey and family-oriented. Once they get here, they connect like family.”

Perkins said the need to reel in humanity started when the parishioners of Breath of Life Seventh Day Adventist Church started feeding homeless men, women and families and transporting them to church.

The transition center was born shortly afterward and morphed into a non-profit organization. The Veterans Administration Medical Center signed on and started referring clients.

“Back in the day, Breath of Life was a progressive church. They did a lot of outreach where they were actually going to people,” said Perkins. “Now, we’re doing both inreach and outreach, trying to assist our elderly in the church.”

Perkins said the goal of the church is to spread out into the community to help others in need of their services. The transition center, she added, is just one phase of the church’s charitable arm.

The transition center has living quarters for 40 homeless male veterans. “We provide case management, transportation and, or course, three meals a day,” said Perkins. “And they can stay for 90 days up to two years.”

Though alcohol and drug addictions are common among the center’s residents, Perkins said there are other vexing problems as well. “We help them with legal issues and other essential services so they can return back to mainstream society.”

Some of those services include:

    •Medical referrals to the VA

    •Vocational counseling and job readiness

    •Budget and savings planning

    •Support services after completion of program

    •Preparation for returning to the community

    •Safe and sober environment

For the holidays, the Pathfinders, a youth ministry at Breath of Life, are planning to feed the residents, Perkins said.

“It’s like giving back. They’ve given a lot to me and to our country. And we just want to say thanks.”