Meet Eugene: From Setbacks to Self-Sufficiency

Eugene is a 36-year-old, vibrant, and outgoing gentleman. Like many adults, his ultimate goal is to live independently with minimal to no staff support. His life experiences have shaped him into a strong advocate for himself and his peers.

Since 2005, Eugene has been living in an Independent Support Living setting, where he thrives. He has developed long-lasting friendships and obtained employment as a front desk receptionist. Eugene was also fiercely independent, enjoying alone time in the community and outings on his own.

In 2017, Eugene came to Easterseals for the Community Living Program. But after supporting Eugene for a couple of years, Eugene's team noticed that Eugene was making some poor decisions that were dangerous to himself, and these were largely because of outside influences.  Due to some of the unhealthy choices Eugene made, his guardian asked to approve his community interactions and requested our team accompany him on his outings. During this time, Eugene also lost his job when the office he worked at closed due to the COVID-19. While these changes were made with his safety in mind, Eugene understandably felt down about a lot that was going on. His Community Living team knew that something had to change.

The team wanted to help Eugene develop a healthy support system, gain back independence, and start making some positive changes in his life. So with Eugene’s full support, his Community Living team helped Eugene move into a new Supported Living Home in 2022. And the improvements were almost immediate.

Eugene’s outlook changed. He got along great with his roommates and with this new support system, was making better choices for himself. He was also very focused on becoming employed again. With support from his Community Living team and Vocational Rehabilitation, Eugene secured employment in May of 2023 with the St. Louis Aquarium as a front desk greeter.

Eugene’s guardian also noticed the strides he was making. They no longer felt the need to approve Eugene’s community interactions, and staff no longer had to accompany him. He now enjoys frequenting places like Ballpark Village, the Delmar Loop, and attending church on Sundays.

Eugene is gaining more and more independence every single day, with the ultimate goal of living on his own. Eugene's life journey is an excellent example of what can be accomplished with dedication, focus, and a strong support system!