Harold’s Tale
“I was in jail for a long time.”
South Bronx-born and raised ‘Harold’ is 68. He is stooped and uses a walker.
Don’t let the walker fool you, though. Harold is often moving around South Downtown Hartford neighborhoods at about 80 mph in his walker, saying hello and sharing some of his charm with anyone who says hello back.
Hector in his bunk, June 2024.
Harold openly shares that he was in jail for thirteen and a half years. He first got out in 2018. He was able to leave prison due to mental health reasons and was placed on probation.
Come November of 2023, he was waiting in line outside of the City of Hartford’s Warming Center, which is managed and operated offsite by South Park Inn, just hoping to get inside. The Deputy Director happened to be working the front line of the overnight shelter on that bitter night.
City of Hartford Warming Center.
“She seen me outside. With my walker and everything.” The cots were full, but she got the disabled senior out of the cold and into an overnight hotel placement. Through 221, he was then placed at the Inn when a bed became available.
His Experience at SPI
Traumatic events are harmful to anyone’s mental health. Living in prison for over a decade followed by homelessness is compounded trauma. Yet, Harold found South Park Inn as a space where he could reset his life. His assigned Case Manager, Wil Mathis, notes that Hector worked to move his housing process along as fast as he could. Hector would say, “Wil, I’m ready! What’s next?”
There were setbacks, but Harold remained eager to work. “I had slow progress because of my criminal background. It’s a lifetime of that experience,” he admits. “[But at the Inn] I was just waiting and trying to show that I can progress into someone good.”
During his stay at South Park Inn, Harold could be found outside in the courtyard smoking cigarettes, gossiping, and petting any dogs that came his way. Harold loves dogs. On occasion, staff members bring their dogs to work. On those days, he would make sure that the dogs were brushed and got treats, and he even insisted that his picture be taken with a dog and featured on the South Park Inn Facebook page. “Put me on the website, too!”
Harold, “J",” and Zoey the Golden Retriever.
Harold meets Homer, the Staffordshire Terrier, August 2024. Picture taken just before he moved out of the Inn and into his apartment.
Home at Last
Towards the end of August 2024, Harold received the keys to his first home in decades. Due to the generous donors, Harold was provided with the basic household needs to get started in his new chapter.
It’s now spring 2025, and Hector is still happily living in his apartment. We know this because he walks – fast as ever – with his walker up and down Main Street and says hello to staff while on the go.
Hector met up with a church group giving away new Nikes on the Green, St. Patty’s Day 2025.
SPI’s Development Director sat down with Hector to catch up with his life over breakfast in February (2025). When asked about what he is up to now and how he feels, he said that being free, staying out of trouble, and looking ahead for new blessing are his priorities. “I’m doing good things for myself now,” is how he explains about volunteering at a local bodega. He helps out the owners and socializes to his heart’s content.
Smiles over breakfast on Main Street, 2025.
No matter someone’s past, it’s our collective duty to aid our fellow humans find dignity through housing. Thank you, dear supporter, for working with South Park Inn to do this work.