Cancer had taken Steve’s left eye and cancer treatments had damaged his nerves and organs irreparably. Now, a doctor told him his right eye was at risk.

“Ever since I had to stop working, my kids had been through so much. I wanted them to have some stability,” Steve says. “I found it at COTS.”

Once at COTS, “I went to the on-site Petaluma Health Center,” says Steve. “They referred me to a specialist who discovered that my cancer wasn’t back. I’ve always had really high off-the-charts blood pressure, but right after that, it shot down to normal. I hadn’t realized how stressed I was.” “From there, I just did everything I was supposed to do.” Steve saved money, resolved some issues in his credit history and worked hard on his spending. Eight months after he and his kids came COTS, they moved to a permanent home in our Integrity Housing program.

And when the kids need a ride? Do they still have to cross their fingers and hope Dad’s beater will start? Nope. Thanks to KZST, Steve has a new car!

“I can’t believe how much our lives have changed in eight months,” says Steve. “I worked hard to make it happen, but I had always worked hard. COTS had the structure and the people that helped me focus my work and make it count.”