Jacob Eberhardt walks through a dormitory at Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada. Eberhardt is enrolled in the agency’s Resident Work program, which gives homeless men a place to live and helps them find jobs. Photo by John Gurzinski.

Leon Bush and Jacob Eberhardt each live in their own cubicle just large enough to fit a twin bed and a single end-table.

Despite being in their 40s, the men must follow a strict set of rules. They must check in and out, abstain from drugs and alcohol, undergo regular inspections of their possessions and follow a work schedule that allows little free time. They cannot have guests.

Still, life is much better now for the men than it was about eight months ago when both were living on the street.

The restrictions also come with the chance that the men eventually will make it on their own.

"There are a lot of boundaries, but if you stay within them, there's a lot of freedom to pursue what you need to do," Eberhardt, who became homeless after a bout with cancer, said while showing off his cubicle.

The men are enrolled in Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada's Resident Work program, which gives healthy homeless men a place to live, three meals a day, clothing and job counseling.

Staffers help place the men in various jobs with local companies in such positions as security guards, construction workers or grocery store baggers. Some days, the program doesn't have enough men to fill all the available jobs.

Some of the men, such as Bush and Eberhardt, work for Catholic Charities. Both work security jobs there.

As the men start earning money, they pay a small percentage toward their living expenses.

About 150 formerly homeless men are currently in the program, but there is room for at least 100 more.

The program sometimes has a hard time recruiting. Many haven't heard about it. Others don't qualify. Those with drug, alcohol or serious mental health problems are referred elsewhere. Some also don't want to follow the rules or the mandatory work schedule.

"It's a very structured program," said Phillip Hollon, director of the agency's residential services division. "They have to be out actively working to get back on their feet. It's not a free ride."

The program also has a high attrition rate, probably for the same reasons.

"They might show up intoxicated or not show up to their job," Tamico Terrell, a program life skills manager, said. "It can be a revolving door."

The program operates under a "three strikes, you're out" policy. After the third violation, the men must seek help elsewhere.

Those who do make it through the mandatory seven-day probation and do well in the program can stay as long as they need. They move up through three levels: first, sleeping on a bunk in a warehouse-style room; then, moving to a cubicle like Bush and Eberhardt; and finally, moving into their own small apartment on the campus, where they pay about $300 a month in rent. Privileges also increase with each step.

The goal is to reintegrate the men into society by teaching them life management skills such as following a standard work schedule, paying bills each month and saving a healthy chunk of their incomes. Some of the men have been in the program for as long as two years.

Once the men do move on, hopefully into their own apartments or homes, their case managers continue to follow up with them.

"We don't want them to come back, in a good way," Hollon said.

Eberhardt plans to own his own home one day. Ironically, he said, before he got sick and ended up on the street, he worked in a homeless shelter in New Hampshire.

He traveled across the country, living in shelters along the way, before landing in Las Vegas.

"I was scared," he said. "But I knew there was work available in Las Vegas."

Eberhardt quickly heard about the Resident Work program and joined.

"It gives you the time, the freedom to get stable," he said.

He hopes eventually to find work in a local casino.

Bush became homeless after a layoff in Seattle.

"I worked odd jobs, but it wasn't enough to keep me off the streets," he said.

Friends in Las Vegas told him there was plenty of work here and bought him a bus ticket.

Bush, too, was lucky enough to enroll quickly in the Resident Work program. He wants eventually to go to vocational school and find work as a forklift driver.

He said he has no doubt that he'll meet his goals.

"You just gotta have a good, positive attitude," he said.