It’s Personal
June 2018
Story by Melissa Mendonca
John Moore: Next Steps/My Father’s House
It was a straightforward series of events that led John Moore, 54, to the steps of Pastor Kurt Salierno six years ago. “I was homeless. I’d gotten hurt. I lost my apartment,” he says. A degenerative back injury had become so debilitating that he couldn’t keep up with his job as a chef. Salierno helped Moore through a program called Next Steps and the two stayed in touch once Moore was back on track, established now as a prolific fantasy-science fiction writer.
Despite success with his books, however, Moore found himself in precarious housing again. He returned to his friend, this time with an offer to give back. My Father’s House of Visalia, a residential after-care home founded by Salierno, was in need of an assistant manager. Moore moved in to support the 17 resident men seeking support after rehabilitation services. “Most
of the men who are here have experienced addiction,” says Moore. “This is where they go to re-establish themselves and get back into the community. They’ve all experienced homelessness or prison or jail but now they have a home.” He became the resident manager a few months later.
Moore now has a room at My Father’s House where he continues to write and keeps an extensive book collection while supporting others on their journey. Since opening in January 2017, My Father’s House has supported five men to reach their goals and move on with their lives. Then there’s Moore himself. “I went from being homeless to being a published author, and actually one of the top in my genre,” he says. “I didn’t lose hope. Hope is something that everybody needs and Kurt has dedicated his life to giving the hopeless hope.”
“ I went from being homeless to being a published author, and actually one of the top in my genre.”
– John Moore
John R Moore 