Bloomington man fights to escape homelessness

In America, 66 percent of the homeless have a substance abuse problem.

Joseph Braun, who asked that his real name not be used because of privacy and job security issues, was one of those people. His addiction to alcohol was capped off by a trip to prison for a repeat drunken driving offense, after which he lost his home, truck, fiancee – everything.

Bobbie Summers – director of Martha’s House, the place that took him in two months ago – said substance abuse is a pivotal issue among those Martha's House takes in, citing that 50 percent of the people there have or have had a substance abuse problem.

Now, however, Braun is taking steps to be more than just one of those people – more than just a number.

“I had to pull together – try to quit drinking and all that,” Braun said. “I had to get back to work and save some money up ... To achieve what I’ve lost.”

Braun grew up in Columbus, Ind., with a mother, father, brother and sister. His father was a professional firefighter and owned his own business, and Braun said he was rarely left wanting anything as a child.

“I wasn’t in a poor family or anything like that,” Braun said. “I grew up in not a really wealthy family, but we never went hungry or nothing like that.”

Tragedy struck later in life when his parents died from cancer and his brother also passed away. As he mourned his losses and his life seemed bleak, Braun turned down a dangerous road, searching for an escape from the pain.

“A lot of it was depression,” Braun said of his drinking. “That depression, too, I can’t let that get me down no more, either.”

He still thinks about his family every day, he said. From fall trips to Brown County State Park to spring fishing trips with his father and the holiday season, Braun thinks of them on a daily basis.

“Words can’t explain it,” Braun said of his losses. “It’s just a matter of time. It takes a day, then a week, then, after weeks go by, it’s lightening up, then, next thing you know, it’s a year. You always miss them, but you always remember them, too.”

At the time, though, he resorted to drinking to deal with his issues. Eventually, he realized his life was out of control and something had to be done.

It took hitting rock bottom to finally see that.

“Waking up and being in prison –  seeing myself in prison,” he said of the moment he knew there had to be a change in his life. “Not only that, you know, but just knowing I can do better for myself. Just basically getting tired of being locked up.”

After serving his time, Braun faced another problem – left with nothing, he had no one to turn to. Luckily for him, there were people willing to help – the people at Martha’s House in Bloomington.

“When I got out, I just didn’t have nowhere to go,” Braun said. “My parole officer brought me over here.”

Every time he has woken up in his room at Martha’s House for the past two months, he said, he has thought of what he’s given up. What he could be. What he was before it all went down the drain.

That is why he works from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. at Baxter Healthcare Pharmaceutical, trying to save up money to afford an apartment. That is why he sits at a bus stop,
despite how much he hates being seen there, every time he has to go anywhere out of walking distance from Martha’s House.

That is why he says he is more motivated than ever to bounce back from the depths of despair and earn his life back – and be more than a statistic on a sheet of paper.

“Seeing what I had and everything and what I lost, what I want back ... I know what it takes if I want it back,” Braun said. “I can do it.

“I’m struggling. It’s rough, but it’s like I said, I know I can do better. Jobs are just hard to find right now.”

He has faced nearly insurmountable obstacles. He has faced nearly inescapable temptations. But his journey back to the life he once knew is a process, and he said he knows what steps he has to take.

“Staying sober is one,” Braun said. “I just take it one day at a time – staying sober, saving my money up to get my apartment back – and things are progressively getting better.”

He said he might go back to school to begin an apprenticeship in the heating and cooling industry. After a motorcycle accident in July caused him to fall back into drinking and lose his apartment, that might be necessary.

He awaits an MRI to see if he needs surgery. If he does, his original trade – welding – might no longer be an option, and he might need to miss work. Along with the fear of reverting back to alcoholism, that is his biggest worry.

“I don’t know if I’ve got to have surgery yet,” Braun said. “That’s another thing because I can’t afford to take off work. I’m doing good right now – I’m saving money. That’s another scary thing right there.”

His current troubles only add to the temptation to drink. He said some days are better than others, the bad ones being especially hard on his will.

“I’ve had days like that,” Braun said. “I just tell myself I gotta be tough and look at my situation. I’m working, at least. I got some money coming in. It’ll get better. I just gotta keep my head up.”

Keeping his head up is hard, though, when times are tough. That makes his struggle against his biggest demon even more excruciating.

“Not a day goes by that I don’t think about (drinking),” Braun said. “But I know I just can’t. I know what it takes to stay away from it. But the temptation is there.”

Braun is praying he doesn’t have to miss anymore work and can stay on the right track. That is to be expected from a man who has tried his hardest to escape the trap he has fallen into. He hopes to leave Martha’s House in the next month.

However, if his injury proves to be severe, his options become limited.

Don’t expect him to give up, though. Braun refuses to do so. As he said, “I’m getting tired of being sick and tired.”

Braun already sees himself in a better position. No matter how long it takes, he believes he will escape from his troubles and find his way back to an easier path.

“I’m headed for a good road,” Braun said. “If everything turns out alright – I don’t know the situation exactly in my future – but I want to go down to Florida ... Maybe retire living down there.”

Braun said the plan for achieving those goals is simple – the execution is another story. However, as he walked down the hall, heading off to sleep after an eight-hour night shift, he reiterated how dedicated he was to it.

“Just doing the right things,” he said as he walked toward an uncertain future. “Just doing the right things.”