Grace Homes Helped Him Find a Better Life

MLM’s Grace Homes in Wyandotte County is many things—an attractive brick building, a roof over the head of eight people who have faced mental illness and homelessness, and access to a network of help that leads to employment and long-term stability.

For Lonzo Lonberger, the difference could not be more striking.

Lonzo was homeless in 2008. He now has a full-time job and his own apartment.

Growing up in Kansas City, KS, Lonzo admitted he got in with the “wrong crowd” early in his life. This led to drug use and separation from family. Soon he was living in shelters or on the streets when the Wyandot Mental Health Center’s Homeless Outreach Team began working with him. He was diagnosed with a mental illness in May of 2008.

“Grace Homes restored me into sanity,” Lonzo said. “They gave me the opportunity to get involved with my church. They also gave me the opportunity to re-connect with my family.”

Lonzo was one of Grace Homes’ first clients when it opened in September 2008. Funded in part by a grant from the department of Housing and Urban Development, Grace Homes is administered by MLM for clients who meet HUD definitions of being chronically homeless and chronically mentally ill. Lonzo met both of these definitions and moved into Grace Homes in October of 2008.

Initially, Lonzo was being treated for a mental illness and was taking medication for his illness. Through treatment and stable housing, Lonzo’s condition improved dramatically, and he decided he wanted to find a job. He began working at Wendy’s in early 2009 and is still working there approximately 30 hours per week. He is also being considered for a management position because of his work ethic and dedication to the job.

“They stabilized my living,” Lonzo explains today. “If I encounter a trigger (something that could lead to his former problems), there is a support group of people to talk to.”

Lonzo is no longer taking any medication for his mental illness. Nor does he receive any psychiatric treatment. The Wyandot Center Support Services Team no longer provides case management services to Lonzo. Instead, he works with someone from the Young Adult Team who checks in with him periodically to make sure he is still on the path to total independence.

Lonzo is a major success story and everyone at Grace Homes and MLM is proud to have assisted him.