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For about five years, Jarrod’s life revolved around caring for his dad. He managed hospital stays, doctor appointments, and the day-to-day needs of someone whose health was slowly declining. In the process, he put everything else aside, his job, his stability, and even his own recovery.

Determined to break the cycle, she made the courageous decision to enter residential treatment, where she spent two years working on her recovery and rebuilding her life. As her time there came to an end, she knew she needed the right next step.

For about five years, Jarrod’s life revolved around caring for his dad. He managed hospital stays, doctor appointments, and the day-to-day needs of someone whose health was slowly declining. In the process, he put everything else aside, his job, his stability, and even his own recovery.

For about five years, Jarrod’s life revolved around caring for his dad. He managed hospital stays, doctor appointments, and the day-to-day needs of someone whose health was slowly declining. In the process, he put everything else aside, his job, his stability, and even his own recovery.

"It was great....and then it was not." That's how Katy begins her story-raw, honest, and vulnerable.

“I was doing okay,” Michael began. “I had a decent life. I wasn’t perfect, but I was making it.” For 12 years, he worked as a correctional officer and raised three kids after their mother passed away. “No food stamps, no government assistance. Just me working and making sure my kids were taken care of.” Then life hit hard.

September is here, and we are just weeks away from our biggest event of the year-our 16th Annual Strike Out Homelessness Bowling Fundraiser

“It was great… and then it was not.” That’s how Katy begins her story—raw and honest. Life had been steady for years, until everything changed. “The first time my son and I became homeless was literally just off a 30-day notice. I had done nothing wrong. I had been there for five years, and I never thought I would leave.” When that notice came, everything fell apart. “We started living in my car for a while, and then I lost that car. I didn’t know what to do next.”

“I had hit rock bottom,” she said. “I was living in codependency, struggling to stop drinking, and feeling pretty helpless, fearful, and depressed. I knew I needed trauma counseling, and I knew I needed a fresh start.” 

School is back in session! Please join me in praying for our kids as they start a new school year, asking God to guide, protect, and stregthen them.

I had been homeless for a while, and I hadn’t had a shower in probably two weeks.” “Joel gave me the time. He talked to me, took me over to the men’s program for an intake, gave me a U.A.—and I failed.” But Joel didn’t just send him away.

“I was married for five years,” Marissa began. “It was emotionally abusive relationship, and it led me to do things that ultimately weren’t good. In that place of desperation, she turned to God.

As we begin a new fiscal year, it's a time of reflection, vision, and renewed purpose. Each July brings with it an opportunity to look ahead with fresh eyes and open hearts, while also remembering the simple yet powerful mission that guides everything we do: Love. House.Equip.

At 18, searching for independence, Amberlee moved to the reservation. There, she found herself drawn into addiction and a destructive environment. She lived in her late grandfather’s abandoned trailer—drinking, using, and partying with others caught in the same cycle. “There were times I’d open my Bible, not knowing what I was doing with it…

There's a lot to celebrate and even more to look forward to here at House of Refuge Sunnyslope-let me share a few of the ways God is at work.

May is here, and with it comes a beautiful reminder: God is always at work, growing, nurturing and preparing hearts for something greater.

Chris had a good childhood. He grew up in a loving home and was raised in the church. He was baptized, active in youth group, and part of...

Joel was born in Cleveland, Ohio, but his journey took him across the country. At five years old, he moved to Chicago, where he lived...