Dez

Dez’s Rooftop Oasis

Most mornings you can find Dez in the rooftop garden of Bedford Green House, one of Project Renewal’s supportive housing residences. With his warm smile and sparkling optimism, you might not guess that he has navigated immense hardship, including a battle with stage four cancer.

During his recovery, Dez found sanctuary among the plants, spending hours nurturing them—and his own well-being. “This is a beautiful place to heal myself. I can be with my own thoughts. It’s a serene and regenerative space. I am giving life to something, which is a purpose I’d never had. I love seeing things grow.”

A skilled cook, Dez takes joy in using the fresh herbs, spices, and vegetables he grows in the greenhouse to create delicious meals. “I get to enjoy the literal fruits of my labor,” he says.

With his health on the mend, Dez is preparing to re-enter the workforce. He sees a bright future for himself, but is not afraid to look back. “I am not ashamed of my past, whether it’s drug use, whether it’s homelessness, no matter what it is, I refuse to be ashamed of myself anymore. Because I learned from it. I overcame it.”

He recently completed Project Renewal’s Human Services Training course and is eager to become a peer specialist. “I don’t want to go back to a very empty job of cash, career, whatever. I really want to give back to society. I want to help out people that are going through something that I went through, and I want to let them know that you can recover if you want to. I am an example of that.”