Changing the face of homelessness

 First of all I would like to introduce myself. My name is Tracy Jay Gillespie. I am a 48 year old male who lives in St. Joseph, Missouri. This is where I was born and raised.   I like to think of myself as a Christian man. I believe that all things are possible. I have a high school equivalency that I obtained through the United States Navy.  I served in the United States Navy for almost 2 years. I was discharged from the Navy with other than honorable conditions due to my mental health.    I am a very compassionate and caring person. I am a person who listens and tries to understand. I am a giving person and I never looked down on anyone.I never look down on anyone.  I myself, had a very traumatic upbring which led me to experience being homeless for a combined 20 years. That whole time I was living with untreated mental illness.   I love to spend quality time in the great outdoors. I enjoy fishing, hunting, camping and I even like to hike. Most of a...

  In 1990, at the age of 17, I had my first experience with the Department of Mental Health. My stepfather, at the time, went to court and somehow had me committed to a 30-day stay in a mental health unit. My stepfather was determined to remove me from our home and had me committed a second time, this time to a treatment facility. I admit that I was drinking a little and had started smoking marijuana; I believe I was still 17. A judge committed me to a 30-day inpatient program that I was required to complete. The truth is, I was there because I was unwanted. However, I did take advantage of the educational opportunities offered and learned a great deal. It was also in 1990 that I received my first mental health diagnosis: major depressive disorder. Throughout my life, I would be diagnosed with many different disorders. Every time I found myself in a psychiatric unit or a treatment facility, it was either through commitment or by my own choice because I felt safe there. I was genuin...