Paul Palmer is part of Sober Circle at the Mary Isaak Center (Photo by Beth Shankler)
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At this time last year, Paul Palmer was going on seven years of being homeless.
A methamphetamine addict living along the Petaluma River, he had been in and out of rehab a few times, but it never seemed to work.
He mostly kept to himself, staying out of the way of police officers and other homeless people, burrowed deep into the bushes along the river bank on the north side of town. To support his habit, he recycled. To pass the time, he would read, birdwatch or tend his vegetable patch of corn, lettuce and tomatoes.
Palmer, 52, is now off the streets and has been sober for three months, thanks to Petaluma’s Sober Circle initiative. He is one of 21 people who completed treatment at Center Point Drug Abuse Alternatives Center during the program’s first year. Six have found permanent housing; Palmer, who is in temporary housing, hopes to add to that number.
“I’m feeling great,” said Palmer, who started using alcohol and marijuana when he was 12. “Healthier than I’ve been for a long time.”
To continue reading this article by Christi Warren, go to: http://www.pressdemocrat.com/n...-for-homeless-people
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