Curtis Patterson is a patriot who served our country in the Army for 8 years. Later, he worked at the DOJ in Japan. After his divorce, Curtis returned to California wanting to make a change in his life and to help others. And, he did just that. Curtis volunteered at The Midnight Mission for 3 years prior to being hired in May 2011 because he felt a need to be part of The Midnight Mission.

Curtis is often the first person our homeless and near-homeless guests see. He has created a resource office to assist anyone who comes to us seeking help. He has been effective in aiding our guests by first listening to them and then focusing on the needs of each individual. “The Midnight Mission has the tools and resources for most conditions with professional license therapists”, he said.

Another program Curtis is passionate about is the Courtyard Case Management Program. It is designed to assist the chronically homeless (those homeless for more than 10 years) transition from living in our Courtyard to permanent and affordable housing. There are many reasons people experience chronic homelessness, which include substance abuse, mental illness, financial problems, physical health issues and unemployment. Each case is unique.

Curtis remarked “Our Program helps clients identify these problems and take the necessary steps to address and solve them. Once this is taken care of, we can start looking for appropriate long-term accommodations that will suit the needs of the individual. When placed, we will do a year-long follow-up to ensure that the client is coping effectively with his or her new environment”.

To help break the mind-set of Skid Row, Curtis takes groups of clients on various outings to show them that there is more for them beyond our courtyard and Skid Row. When clients are ready to accept help and take the actions necessary to change, we are there to help in every way we can. Curtis is always looking for tickets to ballgames, restaurant gift certificates, museum tickets, etc., so that he can take clients out and show them just how wonderful life can be!