Preston’s Story
A Vietnam veteran, Preston Gurley wanted to make a fresh start when he moved back to Indianapolis after living in California for 14 years. “I found myself without a permanent place to live. What I really wanted was to find a place of my own and move on to a normal life.”
Preston contacted a veteran’s social service agency, which referred him to HealthNet’s Homeless Initiative Program (HIP) and the Threshold Project. “What was different was that they had all the things I needed, in one place – independent living, counseling and employment services,” he said.
Finding permanent housing helped him eliminate many day-to-day stresses and focus on getting back to work. He credits the program’s customized employment services with teaching him how to tailor a job perfectly suited to his needs and talents.
First, Preston decided to go back to school. “I had been out of the computer industry for awhile, and my skills were stale. The Threshold Project provided the books and I paid for my tuition,” he said. HIP counselors then helped him incorporate his business and develop a business plan. He saved up enough to purchase needed specialty software and attended a software training session in Canada. “The Threshold Project agreed that if I could find a way to get myself to
Canada, they would pay the tuition and room and board.”
Preston’s new business, Advanced Interactive Design, offers customized, automated appointment confirmation systems for medical offices, dental offices, and law firms. One of Preston’s first customers was HealthNet. “Once we saw what his product could do, we knew it was something that would benefit our health centers,” said Booker Thomas, HealthNet president and CEO. After 18 months of confirming appointments for HealthNet, Preston has expanded his company’s call production capacity and variety and is in search of new clients.
“Really, the customization I can do for customers is the same thing HealthNet did for me,” Preston said. “They looked at me and said, ‘Here’s this guy, and here’s what he has going for him and here’s where he needs a little help. How can we fit some services around him?’ HealthNet helped me change my life.”
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