The phone call inviting Todd back to Tampa Hope came years after he first walked through its doors seeking help.

Sitting on his recliner, with a broken back, Todd was unsure where life would take him next. Then, his phone rang. A former therapist with Catholic Charities Diocese of Saint Petersburg offered him a position. 

He remembered thinking “Catholic Charities and Tampa Hope got me out of a real sticky problem, and I’m happy to give back in that way.” 

His first day on the job, he was greeted by the same people who once encouraged him to write down his goals. Now they welcomed him as their colleague. 

Today, Todd serves as a case manager at Tampa Hope — a program of Catholic Charities that provides structured living for people experiencing homelessness. It is the same program that helped him rebuild his life after untreated bipolar disorder and homelessness left him questioning whether life was worth living. He uses that experience to help others find hope today. 

Years earlier, his life looked very different. Todd had built a successful career, proud of the relationships he was creating for his family. But with success came stress; a move within the job market caused apprehension, and not long after, Todd’s life started to change. His troubled marriage was unsalvageable, and early stages of an untreated diagnosis had started to show. 

“I couldn’t sleep at all. I just remember the terrible nights I’d be up,” he recalled. 

Seeking relief for persistent insomnia, Todd visited a psychiatrist. Within minutes, he heard the words that finally made sense after years of unanswered questions: “You have bipolar disorder.”  

Todd described the diagnosis as “this illumination, thinking back on my entire life, like, yep yep yep.”

With proper treatment, Todd began establishing a life he was proud of again, renting a beautiful home where his children would come to stay for the next five years. “It was fun, probably the happiest time of my life. Even though I was divorced,” he reflected. As the legal battles continued, Todd poured everything he had into staying present in his children’s lives. But the financial strain eventually cost him the home where he had spent those happy times. 

Even after losing his home, Todd refused to give up on being a father to his kids. While sleeping on the floor of his 10-by-10 office, he continued creating moments of normalcy. He took them to a local hotel. “We could swim, have a great breakfast and have a good day,” Todd said.  

Gradually, Todd convinced himself he no longer needed medication. 

Eventually when the pandemic hit, his business crumbled, and Todd’s mental health reached an all-time low. He leaned on this verse from Corinthians: “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7)

“That Bible verse was in my head constantly,” Todd recalled. “Like a power tool just to keep my sanity.” 

Living out of his car, Todd felt trapped. Without consistent medical care, his mental health continued to deteriorate. The faith that had once steadied him began slipping away, and in his mind, he had run out of options. 

“I just didn’t want to live this way,” he said. 

Then, something unexpected came back to him. 

Todd remembered an article he had read years earlier about Tampa Hope. He sold his car, and boarded a bus. This time, he wasn’t traveling toward another temporary solution. He was choosing to ask for help. 

Todd arrived at Tampa Hope. Staff listened and recognized he needed immediate medical care. He spent two weeks receiving treatment and restarting the medication that brought stability to his life once before. When he returned to Tampa Hope, he was ready to begin again. 

He was assigned a tent that became his new home for the next 6 months. He met with his case manager, who gave him one simple task: write down your goals. Those goals became the guide for Todd’s life then and his life now. 

Small goals became larger ones. Eventually, those goals led him to his first home since the one he’d lost all those years ago. “It was the same kind of feeling when we got the house with my kids,” Todd mentioned.

“The first feeling, first thing I did: I fell to my knees, hands in the air and just said thank you.” 

Today, Todd sits across from residents in the very program that once welcomed him. The same words that helped him begin rebuilding his own life — “write down your goals” — are now the words he helps others believe in. Along the way, he hopes they learn what took him years to discover: asking for help is not weakness, but strength.

Shelters of Hope: A Path Forward

Through the Catholic Charities Diocese of Saint Petersburg Shelters of Hope, individuals and families experiencing homelessness find safe shelter, meals, case management, and compassionate support. Beyond meeting immediate needs, Shelters of Hope emphasize accompaniment. Staff and volunteers walk alongside residents as they rebuild stability through employment assistance, life-skills coaching, and connections to health and social services — a powerful witness to the Gospel call to serve the most vulnerable.

How You Can Help:

• Pray for individuals and families seeking stability and healing

• Volunteer your time at shelters and outreach programs

• Donate essential items or financial support

• Advocate for policies and efforts that uphold human dignity

Every act of generosity becomes a step toward hope and a new beginning.

ccdosp.org/shelters-of-hope