Aaron Byzak is CEO of Solutions for Change, a nonprofit organization that helps families escape homelessness.
“People assume when they look at me that I don’t know what it’s like,” he said. “So, I feel compelled to tell them everything that happened.”
Born in 1977, Byzak and his two siblings were raised in an impoverished family living in a dangerous San Diego neighborhood. Their parents were addicts. Both spent time in jail.
Byzak said he grew up experiencing constant anger and frustration.
“Drugs were everywhere in the house, which was only about 800 square feet,” Byzak said, noting the living room was his bedroom.
“It was the Drug Abuse Resistance Education [DARE] program at school when I was 11 that influenced me not to use drugs,” he said. “They would tell us how bad drug use is. I would go home and see it.”
“The one way I knew that I would never grow up to be like them was to never let it enter my system even once.”
“DARE worked for me 100%.”
However, DARE did not protect against physical abuse.
“I was beaten since I was a little kid. I would be punched in the face, suffered dislocated joints and other injuries. Police came dozens of times.”
“But it ended when I was 16.”
By 16, Byzak and his sister were living with his mom after his parents divorced. He had grown to become a large teenager. He would get in fights in the neighborhood and at school.
“When you grow up in a violent family and then go out in your neighborhood and everybody is fairly violent, violence becomes a normal thing,” he said.
Byzak recounted that one day he came home and his mom “was super drunk and high and was beating my sister really bad. I just said, ‘OK, that’s it, no more. If you hit us, I’m going to hit you.’”
“After that, she stopped the beatings, then stopped doing drugs and eventually got a job.”
Byzak went on to graduate high school and became a certified ambulance EMT. He continued with his education, graduating from college and earning a master’s degree in health care management.
After spending over a decade serving in management at several San Diego medical centers and later a consultant to government offices, he was solicited to lead Solutions for Change.
The organization matches his views based upon his childhood experiences on what steps are needed to help families turn their lives around.
“We help them learn positive behaviors to replace negative behaviors,” he explained. “Demeanor, work ethic and training to be able to maintain a job.”
“And get and stay sober, a key piece of our program. We arrange for treatment, we have drug testing, sometimes surprise ones. If they test dirty or there is violence, they’re out. We find somewhere else for them. No exceptions.”
Byzak said their zero-tolerance rules prevent them from receiving California state funds.
“You’re not allowed to require sobriety,” he said, adding that under Housing First rules they must maintain nonjudgemental communications and allow participants choice regarding drug use.
“As somebody who grew up in an abusive family with drugs everywhere, I know that presence of drugs is not conducive to healthy living. We take that seriously.”
Solutions for Change has been successful despite relying solely on private funding.
The organization, which owns apartments and single-family homes in North County helps about 35 families at any one time. Over its 26 years, it has helped about 4,800 individuals.
“Data shows 87% of our families remain stably housed five years after graduation from our program,” he added. “And when families come in here after they’ve lost children because of incarceration, drug use or other things of that nature, we have a 100% success rate in helping them get their kids back.”
There is currently a waiting list for entering Solutions for Change.
Byzak said he freely discusses his background with participants because “they need to understand there’s a way out, particularly for their kids. I want them to see me in their kids.”
About this series
Goldsmith is a Union-Tribune contributing columnist.
We welcome reader suggestions of people who have done something extraordinary or otherwise educational, inspiring or interesting and who have not received much previous media. Please send suggestions to Jan Goldsmith at jgsandiego@yahoo.com