Stories

“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.

“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.” 

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.

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…

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...

Sarah did not grow up in the church. She didn’t own a Bible, nor did she have a foundation in faith. Her life was marked by hardship from...

Before coming to House of Refuge Sunnyslope (HRS), I lacked discipline and struggled with bad habits. For years, I couch surfed, I even...

Giacomo’s story began with a single moment that altered the course of his life. In high school, he broke his arm and was prescribed oxycodon

At one point, Brian’s life was fueled by anger, pride, and self-destruction. Growing up, he fought—both physically and emotionally—allowing

From the moment she entered the program, she became deeply involved in her own case management goals, focusing on financial stability and lo

José arrived at HRS with nothing but the weight of his past and the pain of separation from his family.