Halting rollercoaster at the top

Vet’s seen it all; seeks permanent home

Charles Spaneas dreamed of becoming an actor like Al Pacino when he was a kid and although the hope of making it to Hollywood faded as the years went by, for a while, at least, he lived a life Pacino often portrayed on the screen.

By the time he was in his teens, the Danvers native had a criminal record for joyriding in a stolen car. To spare him jail time, his father asked a judge to allow him to enlist in the Army National Guard to “make a man out of him.” The judge agreed, and Spaneas spent the next six years — from 1974 to 1980 — in the reserves.

In the years that followed he added to his rap sheet with charges including shoplifting, breaking and entering, assault and battery, and multiple driving-underthe-influence charges.

Along the way, Spaneas said, he married twice, had two sons and owned five businesses, including one as a diamond and gold distributor.

But by 2005, he had lost it all. Haunted by anxiety and depression and estranged from his family, he ended up in Boston, sleeping on cardboard boxes in alleyways.

Today, at 63, Spaneas has survived three heart attacks and lives at the New England Center and Home for Veterans, where the staff is trying to find him permanent housing.

Spaneas credited the staff at the center for their work on his behalf.

“I have a good case worker and housing lady, but it’s been so tough, I don’t know how much longer I can take it anymore,” he said.

Despite his difficulties, Spaneas said there are a few things he wants to accomplish. “A permanent place to live,” he said, “and to make amends with my family.”