Homeless man loses battle with alcoholism
Family says he was devoted to his son
By SARAH LIEBOWITZMonitor staff
Feb 9, 2008
Steven Aliberti seemed to know he didn't have long to live.
His body was deteriorating, damaged by a decades-long battle with alcoholism and other illnesses. Homelessness was a further strain: For about seven years, Aliberti spent his days and nights outside, punctuated by occasional stays in jail and, when the temperature dipped, visits to First Congregational Church's emergency cold weather shelter. "He must have known he was really bad off," said Brenda Aliberti, Aliberti's ex-wife.
The morning of Jan. 26, Aliberti was found lying in the snow near a site frequented by Concord's homeless. Suffering from severe hypothermia, Aliberti, 52, spent several days in Concord Hospital's intensive care unit before dying Jan. 30, said David Keller, the pastor of First Congregational Church, where Aliberti had been sleeping.
Several days after arriving at the hospital, Aliberti's body seemed to begin shutting down, and he was placed on life support, Keller said. It's unclear how long Aliberti was lying in the snow before he was discovered.
Since First Congregational Church began opening its doors to Concord's homeless during the coldest months, Keller has presided over several funerals for shelter guests. Like Aliberti, there have been other men who died in middle age, often after years without a stable home. Aliberti's memorial service will take place this afternoon, at the church where he spent so many nights.
"We're just not ready," Brenda Aliberti said. "He kept making it through the winters, so we had hope."
Aliberti's years of homelessness belied his family ties. Unlike other shelter guests, Aliberti had a network of relatives and friends, several of whom lived in Concord. He doted on his and Brenda Aliberti's 10-year-old son; before becoming too ill, he took his son swimming and bike riding. After Brenda Aliberti helped her former husband purchase a cell phone, he called almost daily, she said. She repeatedly attempted to find him an apartment, making calls to landlords. When he went too long without checking in, she went searching.
"He had a family that continuously reached out to him," Keller said. "It's not a lost person. It's a person with a family and with connections and with love." Shortly before Aliberti's death, he spent time with his father and stepmother, who visited from Vermont, Keller said. Shelter volunteers and hospital workers also attempted to help.
Despite those links, Aliberti never managed to break free of his addiction. He drank heavily, imperiling his health, those who knew him said. Living without a home in Concord, he was surrounded by other drinkers.
"It's very hard for people to understand how overwhelming this illness is, especially if you're homeless and you have no hope," Keller said. "It's your coping mechanism."
Attempts to recover
But Aliberti's is also a story of attempted recovery, and the hurdles facing those seeking treatment. Just before his death, Aliberti made two attempts to enter a treatment facility, only to find that there were no open beds, Keller said.
On one occasion, employees at Concord Hospital helped Aliberti search for a treatment center opening - before they found one, however, Aliberti was discharged from the hospital, and he started drinking again shortly after, Keller said. After that first attempt, shelter workers helped Aliberti make more calls.
"I really believe that Steve was making as best of an attempt that he could to get sober, but (there was) no doubt that his addiction had gotten the best of him," Keller said. "But that's not to say he didn't want it," Keller added, referring to treatment.
The state contracts with six crisis sites in the state, where those addicted to alcohol or drugs can go for residential non-medical detoxification and counseling. The six sites provide a total of 54 beds, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services. Waiting lists are common, according to those who work with the homeless. To find an open bed, those seeking treatment need to call the crisis sites daily. Unlike private facilities, these centers admit patients regardless of their ability to pay.
"I know there aren't enough beds," said Keith Kuenning, executive director of the New Hampshire Coalition to End Homelessness. "Here you are, a homeless individual with no internet access, no phone, and you're supposed to make a daily phone call.
"The thing that's upsetting about this is that we know how to help these people," added Kuenning, who advocates the creation of permanent housing for the homeless, which make counseling and other support services available.
Stay-at-home dad
Alcohol didn't always hold such sway over Aliberti, who was born in New Haven, Conn.
He worked off and on as a mechanic before injuring himself, his former wife said. When he and Brenda Aliberti met a dozen years ago, he was a recovering alcoholic devoted to his treatment program. The first year of their son's life, it was Steven Aliberti - who had recently undergone a knee replacement - who stayed home to care for him. When Brenda Aliberti returned home at the end of the day, Aliberti would have the whole house clean, she said.
But when their son, Robert, was a toddler, Aliberti relapsed. His former wife suspects that a medication he was taking for Hepatitis C, which he likely contracted during a blood transfusion decades ago, may have harmed him. Depression is one possible side effect of the drug, called interferon.
Aliberti's drinking occasionally led to violence. Several years later, the couple divorced.
After Aliberti moved out of their Concord home, "he was never able to really get himself up again," Brenda Aliberti said.
Although Brenda Aliberti said that, "we begged him to get an apartment," Aliberti remained on the streets. He loved the outdoors; as long as the weather wasn't too cold, "it didn't really bother him," she said. From time to time, he was picked up for small thefts, including a 30-pack of Coors Light on one occasion and $60 worth of beer and wine on another, according to news reports. He spent time in jail.
When Brenda Aliberti tried to find him a room or an apartment, Aliberti told her that he was scared of the responsibility. He began frequenting the shelter at First Church several years ago, and became a regular guest again this winter, after spending time at the Red Roof Inn in Loudon, Keller said.
There were sober stretches - he spent time in a treatment program, and he couldn't drink while in jail. Brenda Aliberti wouldn't allow drinking in her home. Illness would send him to the hospital, and Aliberti would be temporarily sober.
"He was always trying to change through the years," Brenda Aliberti said.
But as Aliberti aged, his health declined. Apart from alcoholism, he had trouble with his blood pressure and other ailments, such as frostbite, according to his former wife. After being released from jail this winter, Aliberti was beginning to say that, "I'm too sick; I don't see a way out for myself," Keller said. "People were imploring him to believe that there really was a future for him."
Even as Aliberti felt increasingly ill, he helped family and friends, sharing money from his Social Security checks and, when he had it, alcohol, Brenda Aliberti said. "He would rather give and have everyone be happy," she said. Keller also knew Aliberti to have a reputation for buying things for others, even though he had little money for himself.
"He was very grateful and very respectful," Keller said. Aliberti was also a "person of profound faith," the sort of man who carried a Bible, Keller said.
Throughout, Aliberti's family and friends knew that, "Robert was who Steve lived for," Keller said.
Aliberti "really thought highly of his boy," said Charles, a friend of Aliberti's who is also homeless, and didn't want to give his last name. "He had some really nice sides to him."
For Aliberti, this winter brought frequent visits to the hospital; Keller estimates he was admitted three or four times in January. On one occasion, hospital employees helped refer him to a detoxification site, but there were no available beds. On another occasion, shelter workers took Aliberti to the hospital.
Aliberti didn't show up at the shelter the night of Jan. 25. The next morning, another shelter guest found Aliberti in the snow, Keller said. According to several people, Aliberti was discovered near Stickney Avenue. He was rushed to Concord Hospital.
"He was just a very caring, loving person," Brenda Aliberti said. "And it's very sad that he has to have this disease of alcoholism."
A memorial service will take place today at 2:30 p.m. at the First Congregational Church in Concord. Memorial donations may be made to the church, which is located at 177 North Main St., Concord, New Hampshire.
------ End of article
By SARAH LIEBOWITZ
Family says he was devoted to his son
By SARAH LIEBOWITZMonitor staff
Feb 9, 2008
Steven Aliberti seemed to know he didn't have long to live.
His body was deteriorating, damaged by a decades-long battle with alcoholism and other illnesses. Homelessness was a further strain: For about seven years, Aliberti spent his days and nights outside, punctuated by occasional stays in jail and, when the temperature dipped, visits to First Congregational Church's emergency cold weather shelter. "He must have known he was really bad off," said Brenda Aliberti, Aliberti's ex-wife.
The morning of Jan. 26, Aliberti was found lying in the snow near a site frequented by Concord's homeless. Suffering from severe hypothermia, Aliberti, 52, spent several days in Concord Hospital's intensive care unit before dying Jan. 30, said David Keller, the pastor of First Congregational Church, where Aliberti had been sleeping.
Several days after arriving at the hospital, Aliberti's body seemed to begin shutting down, and he was placed on life support, Keller said. It's unclear how long Aliberti was lying in the snow before he was discovered.
Since First Congregational Church began opening its doors to Concord's homeless during the coldest months, Keller has presided over several funerals for shelter guests. Like Aliberti, there have been other men who died in middle age, often after years without a stable home. Aliberti's memorial service will take place this afternoon, at the church where he spent so many nights.
"We're just not ready," Brenda Aliberti said. "He kept making it through the winters, so we had hope."
Aliberti's years of homelessness belied his family ties. Unlike other shelter guests, Aliberti had a network of relatives and friends, several of whom lived in Concord. He doted on his and Brenda Aliberti's 10-year-old son; before becoming too ill, he took his son swimming and bike riding. After Brenda Aliberti helped her former husband purchase a cell phone, he called almost daily, she said. She repeatedly attempted to find him an apartment, making calls to landlords. When he went too long without checking in, she went searching.
"He had a family that continuously reached out to him," Keller said. "It's not a lost person. It's a person with a family and with connections and with love." Shortly before Aliberti's death, he spent time with his father and stepmother, who visited from Vermont, Keller said. Shelter volunteers and hospital workers also attempted to help.
Despite those links, Aliberti never managed to break free of his addiction. He drank heavily, imperiling his health, those who knew him said. Living without a home in Concord, he was surrounded by other drinkers.
"It's very hard for people to understand how overwhelming this illness is, especially if you're homeless and you have no hope," Keller said. "It's your coping mechanism."
Attempts to recover
But Aliberti's is also a story of attempted recovery, and the hurdles facing those seeking treatment. Just before his death, Aliberti made two attempts to enter a treatment facility, only to find that there were no open beds, Keller said.
On one occasion, employees at Concord Hospital helped Aliberti search for a treatment center opening - before they found one, however, Aliberti was discharged from the hospital, and he started drinking again shortly after, Keller said. After that first attempt, shelter workers helped Aliberti make more calls.
"I really believe that Steve was making as best of an attempt that he could to get sober, but (there was) no doubt that his addiction had gotten the best of him," Keller said. "But that's not to say he didn't want it," Keller added, referring to treatment.
The state contracts with six crisis sites in the state, where those addicted to alcohol or drugs can go for residential non-medical detoxification and counseling. The six sites provide a total of 54 beds, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services. Waiting lists are common, according to those who work with the homeless. To find an open bed, those seeking treatment need to call the crisis sites daily. Unlike private facilities, these centers admit patients regardless of their ability to pay.
"I know there aren't enough beds," said Keith Kuenning, executive director of the New Hampshire Coalition to End Homelessness. "Here you are, a homeless individual with no internet access, no phone, and you're supposed to make a daily phone call.
"The thing that's upsetting about this is that we know how to help these people," added Kuenning, who advocates the creation of permanent housing for the homeless, which make counseling and other support services available.
Stay-at-home dad
Alcohol didn't always hold such sway over Aliberti, who was born in New Haven, Conn.
He worked off and on as a mechanic before injuring himself, his former wife said. When he and Brenda Aliberti met a dozen years ago, he was a recovering alcoholic devoted to his treatment program. The first year of their son's life, it was Steven Aliberti - who had recently undergone a knee replacement - who stayed home to care for him. When Brenda Aliberti returned home at the end of the day, Aliberti would have the whole house clean, she said.
But when their son, Robert, was a toddler, Aliberti relapsed. His former wife suspects that a medication he was taking for Hepatitis C, which he likely contracted during a blood transfusion decades ago, may have harmed him. Depression is one possible side effect of the drug, called interferon.
Aliberti's drinking occasionally led to violence. Several years later, the couple divorced.
After Aliberti moved out of their Concord home, "he was never able to really get himself up again," Brenda Aliberti said.
Although Brenda Aliberti said that, "we begged him to get an apartment," Aliberti remained on the streets. He loved the outdoors; as long as the weather wasn't too cold, "it didn't really bother him," she said. From time to time, he was picked up for small thefts, including a 30-pack of Coors Light on one occasion and $60 worth of beer and wine on another, according to news reports. He spent time in jail.
When Brenda Aliberti tried to find him a room or an apartment, Aliberti told her that he was scared of the responsibility. He began frequenting the shelter at First Church several years ago, and became a regular guest again this winter, after spending time at the Red Roof Inn in Loudon, Keller said.
There were sober stretches - he spent time in a treatment program, and he couldn't drink while in jail. Brenda Aliberti wouldn't allow drinking in her home. Illness would send him to the hospital, and Aliberti would be temporarily sober.
"He was always trying to change through the years," Brenda Aliberti said.
But as Aliberti aged, his health declined. Apart from alcoholism, he had trouble with his blood pressure and other ailments, such as frostbite, according to his former wife. After being released from jail this winter, Aliberti was beginning to say that, "I'm too sick; I don't see a way out for myself," Keller said. "People were imploring him to believe that there really was a future for him."
Even as Aliberti felt increasingly ill, he helped family and friends, sharing money from his Social Security checks and, when he had it, alcohol, Brenda Aliberti said. "He would rather give and have everyone be happy," she said. Keller also knew Aliberti to have a reputation for buying things for others, even though he had little money for himself.
"He was very grateful and very respectful," Keller said. Aliberti was also a "person of profound faith," the sort of man who carried a Bible, Keller said.
Throughout, Aliberti's family and friends knew that, "Robert was who Steve lived for," Keller said.
Aliberti "really thought highly of his boy," said Charles, a friend of Aliberti's who is also homeless, and didn't want to give his last name. "He had some really nice sides to him."
For Aliberti, this winter brought frequent visits to the hospital; Keller estimates he was admitted three or four times in January. On one occasion, hospital employees helped refer him to a detoxification site, but there were no available beds. On another occasion, shelter workers took Aliberti to the hospital.
Aliberti didn't show up at the shelter the night of Jan. 25. The next morning, another shelter guest found Aliberti in the snow, Keller said. According to several people, Aliberti was discovered near Stickney Avenue. He was rushed to Concord Hospital.
"He was just a very caring, loving person," Brenda Aliberti said. "And it's very sad that he has to have this disease of alcoholism."
A memorial service will take place today at 2:30 p.m. at the First Congregational Church in Concord. Memorial donations may be made to the church, which is located at 177 North Main St., Concord, New Hampshire.
------ End of article
By SARAH LIEBOWITZ
