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He had been drinking since the age of 17, and his job and rental history showed the effects. After a three week stretch of sleeping on the streets – what Jeffrey calls the “worst of the worst” – he learned about the supportive, affordable housing that Aeon’s Paige Hall offered.

“This building saved my life,” said Jeffrey, a resident of Paige Hall for nearly two years “Being in a stable home with a roof over my head has absolutely, positively led to my recovery.”

Direction for the future - and a desire to give back
Soberness was a hard-fought battle for Jeffrey.

“I remember the day I realized I’m a 40-year-old alcoholic wait staff with AIDS,” Jeffrey recalled. “It was a bleak picture for me, but that’s who I was.”

Through recovery – and a support system at Paige Hall – Jeffrey has come to accept his past and recognize his power to create his future. “I can decide what a 43-year-old alcoholic wait staff with AIDS will be like.”

In a moment of clarity, he knew what the future held: the 300-mile Red Ribbon Ride to raise awareness and funds to benefit AIDS research.

Biking wasn’t a new passion for Jeffrey. In 1997, he biked from Twin Cities to Chicago on the AIDS Ride. But, he said, that was 10 years and a lot of drinks ago. The training regime and focused goal has helped keep him healthy and sober.

“My home gives me a starting and ending point, a place to center myself and to be grateful for at the end of each day,” Jeffrey explained.

In preparation for the trek next month, Jeffrey’s employer, a Bloomington restaurant, sponsored a banquet in his honor to help raise the $1,500 entry fee he needs to participate in the Red Ribbon Ride.

“I’ve got my purpose back: to tell my story and hopefully benefit someone else. Rather than hurt this old wounded soul, my job is to nurture it. If I don’t take care of me, I can’t help anyone else.”