{"id":6422,"date":"2022-07-21T15:18:49","date_gmt":"2022-07-21T19:18:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lutheranmetro.org\/?page_id=6422"},"modified":"2022-09-28T19:11:38","modified_gmt":"2022-09-28T23:11:38","slug":"nathan-batiste","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.lutheranmetro.org\/what-we-do\/programs\/housing-and-shelter\/portraits-of-strength\/nathan-batiste\/","title":{"rendered":"Nathan Batiste"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"6422\" class=\"elementor elementor-6422\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"has_eae_slider elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-7773ef9c elementor-section-height-min-height elementor-section-stretched elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-items-middle\" data-id=\"7773ef9c\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;stretch_section&quot;:&quot;section-stretched&quot;,&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_list&quot;:[]}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-background-overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"has_eae_slider elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-1ae092c0\" data-id=\"1ae092c0\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4c1cf7d7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"4c1cf7d7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.21.0 - 18-04-2024 *\/\n.elementor-heading-title{padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title[class*=elementor-size-]>a{color:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-small{font-size:15px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-medium{font-size:19px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-large{font-size:29px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xl{font-size:39px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xxl{font-size:59px}<\/style><h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Nathan Batiste<\/h1>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"has_eae_slider elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-1765be2a elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"1765be2a\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;jet_parallax_layout_list&quot;:[]}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"has_eae_slider elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-3600e6e1\" data-id=\"3600e6e1\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c4a7897 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"c4a7897\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.21.0 - 18-04-2024 *\/\n.elementor-widget-image{text-align:center}.elementor-widget-image a{display:inline-block}.elementor-widget-image a img[src$=\".svg\"]{width:48px}.elementor-widget-image img{vertical-align:middle;display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"755\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lutheranmetro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Nathan-Batiste-final-768x755.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium_large size-medium_large wp-image-6386\" alt=\"Nathan Batiste\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lutheranmetro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Nathan-Batiste-final-768x755.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.lutheranmetro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Nathan-Batiste-final-300x295.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.lutheranmetro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Nathan-Batiste-final-1024x1006.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.lutheranmetro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Nathan-Batiste-final-1536x1509.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.lutheranmetro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Nathan-Batiste-final.jpg 1596w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-57e84a33 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"57e84a33\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.21.0 - 18-04-2024 *\/\n.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked .elementor-drop-cap{background-color:#69727d;color:#fff}.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-framed .elementor-drop-cap{color:#69727d;border:3px solid;background-color:transparent}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap{margin-top:8px}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap-letter{width:1em;height:1em}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap{float:left;text-align:center;line-height:1;font-size:50px}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap-letter{display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Like the inspirational sign at the shelter says, \u201cDon\u2019t look back, you\u2019re not going that way.\u201d Nate Batiste is not looking back. Instead, Nate is claiming the person he \u201calways knew was inside.\u201d Initially, Dave Blunt, Operations Director, rejected the idea of hiring Nate. But Dave came back and said, \u201cYou know what, I\u2019ve seen a change in Nate. I\u2019ll give him a shot as a floater.\u201d Sometimes change happens from the outside- in, through routine and training that reinforce the individual\u2019s character. Now Nate is full-time, second shift. Nate has a peace and solidity that words alone cannot express.<\/span><\/p><h3>Where did it all start?<\/h3><h3><i style=\"color: #333333; font-size: 18px;\">A deep sigh, then Nate jumps right in&#8230;<\/i><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I can tell you about a criminal background and a homeless background. It starts when we\u2019re kids growing up. How we\u2019re raised. What we\u2019re introduced to. You know, the influences as a child and the peer pressure of wanting to fit in. As far as me coming from a criminal background, it\u2019s how I was born and raised. I was born as I was, when I came out the womb. It was like uncontrollable. I got involved as a child, a little baby, I was still in diapers, everything. I\u2019m growing up in the Projects, not being taught the things I need to do to be successful, to be a part of society. Living in the projects, getting involved in criminal activities was natural, already a part of me coming out the womb. You know what I\u2019m saying?<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, when I got old enough, my life was already set. I felt like I had no control over getting involved in the things I got involved in. I felt driven\u2026substance abuse problems. Everybody don\u2019t start that early but I was introduced to everything as a child. Getting involved in criminal activity brings a certain comfort. If you\u2019re a criminal and you don\u2019t do these things, you won\u2019t be accepted.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How Does It Stop?<\/span><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your only hope is God. It\u2019s the only way out\u2026out of the streets.\u00a0 mother tried to put church on me at a young age. But even as a kid, I considered myself a man, my own man. And can\u2019t nobody tell me what to do, not even my own parents. My mother worked right across the street at a nursing home from the CMHA property we were living on\u2026worked hard to support us. While she was at work I was always ripping and running the streets. I be out until 3<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">or 4 o\u2019clock in the morning, hanging with the crowd, older people\u2026just <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">involved<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in things I knew I was going to regret later on. I did what I want. I ended up going to Juvenile Court at 13, and they sent me to ODYS (Ohio Department of Youth Services, a correctional facility for juveniles). Stayed there four and a half years.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You knew you were going to regret?<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I already knew. Not just from my grandmother and people telling me that. But like I was terrible, terrible, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">off the chain<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as a child. My grandmother used to tell me I\u2019m going to regret it later, and I absolutely did.<\/span><\/p><h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do My Time\u2026Stay Out of The Way<\/span><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Growing up I had reality check after reality check\u2026you know how \u2018a hard head makes a sore behind.\u2019 I didn\u2019t want to listen\u2026catching misdemeanor charges which is like workhouse time. But then, it got serious. I started catching felonies and almost ended up spending, you know basically, life in prison. But God had mercy on me. God was the biggest wakeup call ever.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How did you get out of prison?<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I did time but to escape a longer sentence, I took a deal with the prosecutor. I just went with the deal because I had no other way out. The deal was \u201cTake four years, come home in four years.\u201d Before they were trying to give me 17 years. I just wanted it done. Do my time, come home, put my life in order, give back to society. Pay my debt with God and anybody else I hurt in my life. Just to give back, \u2018man up,\u2019 be a father, be a grandfather, you know, just <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">stay out of the way. <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019m getting too old, still got a lot to live, that\u2019s what really got me going. Motivated.<\/span><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How old were you when you got out?<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">26 or 27. When I got out of prison in 2009, I stayed with my mother. But then I went on the run and caught an escape charge for not reporting. They sent me back one more year for violation. After that, I was still catching misdemeanors, sent to the workhouse\u2026but I finally made it here to 2100, after all that.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2100 and a new way of thinking<\/span><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-7341\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lutheranmetro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Nate-Batiste-2018-289x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"289\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lutheranmetro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Nate-Batiste-2018-289x300.jpg 289w, https:\/\/www.lutheranmetro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Nate-Batiste-2018.jpg 432w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 289px) 100vw, 289px\" \/>After I got out of prison this time, my mother brought me down here. Somebody had told her about this place. When I arrived, I wasn\u2019t focused, but when I became a WEP (Work Experience Program) worker, it took me to a whole other level. I saw the opportunity, and the staff were telling me to take it and run. Support, Encouragement, Love, Trust, Respect. An opportunity for positivity. Before I got here, I wasn\u2019t used to working. I adapted quick and began to love it. I always had a desire to work, and I gave it my all. I still do today as a staff Monitor. I take my job very seriously.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All that positivity, and you\u2019re changing with it.<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yeah, every day, I\u2019m becoming more of who I\u2019m supposed to be. I had my ups and downs, but you know, I just got tired and surrendered to God, you know. I talked with God and said I didn\u2019t want to spend the rest of my life in jail, you know? I believe there is a God, and He made a way for me to get on up out of here. God knew my heart. God knew I was ready and tired with what I was going through\u2026the struggling, the poverty. I got tired of all that. God gave me another chance. I got an opportunity here at 2100. Ever since then, I ain\u2019t looked back. Living the good life. A decent life, as long as I stay focused.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All that positivity<\/span><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You know, I\u2019m comfortable with who I am now. I\u2019d rather keep moving forward than go back and start at rock bottom. No guarantee at rock bottom I\u2019d ever have the opportunity of living a good life again.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I see you setting an example around here.<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I tell people, you got to watch the environment you\u2019re hanging around and things that you do. You\u2019re going to end up in a world of trouble. I switched up the places that I hung at, the people I hung around, I switched my focus on doing more positive. Now all I do is work, take care of home, and I got my family as a support system. You know, I\u2019m good. Everyone I work with is in my corner\u2026has been in my corner since Day One. All I\u2019m focused on now is doing the right thing. I got tired of having law enforcement looking for me, having warrants. All of that, for real.<\/span><\/p><h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Got to Have an Exit Plan<\/span><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That\u2019s just to touch base with the criminal background, but as far as homelessness, I be telling guys when they walk in here, \u201cYou got to have a plan.\u201d If you have no plan, you\u2019re going to be here for a while. All the resources and opportunities are here. Take advantage of them. Grab a hold of whatever you can. If you have an exit plan, you never have to worry about coming back here.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What do you think you uniquely bring to the job?<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I understand everything these guys are going through. I was homeless and here 4 or 5 years, a long time. I feel like I bring a whole other level of respect on 2<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">nd<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> shift. It\u2019s just more disciplined. Me being in and out of incarceration starting as a juvenile, they beat us with discipline\u2026walk in a straight line, have our hands checked behind our back\u2026some form of bootcamp military. I bring all of that with me as far as structure. I enforce everything because you\u2019ve got to have respect for one another. I do my job correctly, no half-stepping, no weaknesses. That\u2019s what I do.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Being on full time staff, 2<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">nd<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> shift Monitor, I\u2019m one of the strongest, and everybody else knows that. If they can\u2019t make something happen as far as a resident acting out, I can. Somebody out of control, they know they can count on me to de-escalate. Not just that, but to make people feel comfortable, safe.<\/span><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That\u2019s how you\u2019ve always made me feel<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yeah, yeah, just to be able to go a whole eight-hour shift and have no problems at all. There might be a mental health crisis or somebody need EMS, but as far as having a crazy, out of control shift, no\u2026 there\u2019s order and discipline. You know what I\u2019m saying?<\/span><\/p><h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I Got That Love in My Heart<\/span><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Today I wake up and I know I have something to prove. Keeping my promises to people not to go back to the things I was doing. Keeping my mother and my family happy and proud. Just knowing I got something to prove, because growing up I was doing everything that failures do, running wild. As I got older, I started feeling like that failure. But, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I really did care. <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I had that love in my heart and actually felt it\u2026 different for someone who\u2019s careless and cold hearted and never going to care about the people they hurt. Staying here at 2100, I\u2019ve cried and shed tears. Everybody staying here doesn\u2019t know I shed tears. They always thought I wasn\u2019t the type of person who cried. But the pain really hurts when I think about everything in my life. You know what I\u2019m saying?<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I spend a lot of personal time praying just to strengthen me. I gave my whole heart to God, I mean my <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">whole heart. <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For people here, I just give them that love and plant the seed. I let them know God is there to carry on the rest of their life. When I say something about God, people here trust me enough to know I\u2019m not lying. They know I ain\u2019t going to sugar coat nothing. They want to be where I\u2019m at someday. They see me and know nothing\u2019s impossible. It doesn\u2019t have to end here in a homeless shelter or prison. Yeah, just the beginning. I see myself getting older\u2026\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Getting older\u2026I realize Nate may not have considered this a possibility before.<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I got my housing\u2026God is so good. He put me in a real house, just to be <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">out of the way<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. I\u2019m here on staff. I never complain one time about being here.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">God Was Always with Me<\/span><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even as a child, I felt God\u2026 needed God. Even when I was bullying on other kids- I felt something deep down inside. I had a problem when other kids would make me mad. I had a problem\u2026 just hitting them, not thinking about the consequences, not thinking twice. When I was still young, I hit a guy and broke his jaw in twenty some places. I felt bad afterwards. This was while I was at Ohio Department of Youth Services. I spent 6 months in isolation as my consequence. But I felt bad just seeing the evidence\u2026his mouth wired, his pain \u2013 the pain he was going through. I was actually <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">feeling<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> his pain, looking at him. I could feel it \u2026it was real deep. I guess that was God\u2019s way of letting me know how that guy was really feeling after I hit him in his face.<\/span><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now look at you. You de-escalate, you keep violence from happening.<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yeah, yeah, and not just here, but when I\u2019m out: traveling, shopping, with family, friends. Like they\u2019ll tell you I\u2019m the same way out in public. My family don\u2019t have to worry. So, I feel like I\u2019m going to be used for something <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">good<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. I love this. Every day I\u2019m about growth and development now. Once he gave me this opportunity, I told Mr. Blunt I\u2019d never disappoint him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yep, you keep the peace, Nate.<\/span><\/i><\/p><h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Postscript\u2026.<\/span><\/h3><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sadly, we lost Nate on May 31, 2022. He was just 38 years old. So many at 2100 are affected by this recent news, and we will miss him terribly.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nathan Batiste Like the inspirational sign at the shelter says, \u201cDon\u2019t look back, you\u2019re not going that way.\u201d Nate Batiste [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":6386,"parent":4732,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Portrait of Strength with Nathan Batiste - LMM<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Portraits of Strength gallery features LMM staff who have overcome challenges, now using them to help others. 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