Army Veteran D’Andre Rhoden was born and raised in Memphis, Tn. He joined the Army Reserves in 2016 before becoming active military serving at Fort Polk, La. Until 2023. “I was 1st Battalion 5th Aviation Regiment. I got hurt right before my unit deployed so I stayed stateside. My grandmother lived in a little town in Arkansas so after I got out, I went there to get a job.”
Mr. Rhoden worked at Lennox until moving to Jacksonville for better employment opportunities. “I had developed a sports gambling addiction, but I had been clean for six months I was doing OK; I Had my own place, a car … when my car got impounded for traffic tickets. My mom came and got my car out of impound, but that left me without transportation. I ubered back and forth to work for a while, but it was costing me a fortune. I ended up without a job, the financial pressure kept building. and I started gambling again. My lease on the apartment was up and I stayed there anyway. That got me arrested for trespassing.”
Mr. Rhoden was booked in Little Rock and eventually was released. He went to the Day Treatment Center to see about a place to stay and they referred him to St. Francis House.
“Right now, I’m focused on getting healthy. I finally have accepted that I have some mental health issues and I’m getting treatment for those. I had lost a lot of weight and I’m finally gaining some back. I’m also working on getting my legal fines paid and all my paperwork in order. I met with Congressman Hill’s Veteran Representative last week for help with my VA benefits and disability. And I’m looking for a job. My dream job is to be a mortgage broker. But I’m taking it day by day.”