YouthHope Foundation | PO Box 7803 Redlands, CA 92375 US
2023 Stories
A Home For Me
I’ve never had a home. Sure I’ve lived in houses before, but never a home. My whole life I’ve jumped from house to house, couch to couch, motel to motel. Never staying in one place long enough to meet the neighbors.
I guess that’s what happens when you have an unstable parent who chooses drugs over their family.
As I got older, I took on many of the same characteristics. They say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree right?
I found myself in unsafe situations, moving drugs for cash. Its all I was taught and it was all I knew.
I found out about YouthHope through living on the streets. I started going for the free food. I knew I could get a hot meal from them 4 days a week.
When Heidi learned about my situation, she told me that I needed a real job and stable housing.
She helped me right away and in the years that I have known her she has gotten me into every type of housing. Rehab, long term housing, a tent, back with my family, etc.
Nothing ever really stuck because I wasn't ready to make the necessary changes.
This year that changed. I decided that I want to do better. I came in and told Heidi and she suggested that I sign up to get into the new hotel project in Redlands. I signed up and got accepted. I just moved in and I feel so good having a place to call home. My home. For the first time in a long time, I feel like I’m on the right path. Thank you YouthHope!
Keep Moving Forward
I’ve been surrounded by drug addicts my whole life. My mom was killed by her boyfriend when I was young and my dad has been on drugs my whole life which meant that I was in and out of foster care. The only people that come to our house are druggies. It’s all I have ever known.
I decided early on that I don’t want the same life as I was born into. When I turned 15, I found YouthHope through friends at school. YouthHope has been a safe place for me to get help. I don’t have much in my life because of the unstable family I grew up in, so YouthHope helped me get my ID, my birth certificate, get into counseling, and create a job resume.
I went to school for as long as I could, but because of the drugs that were in my system when I was born, I struggle with a lot of mental illness and learning disabilities so I ended up dropping out before I could graduate.
After I dropped out, I turned 18 and had nowhere to go, I went to YouthHope looking for a place where I could live so I could start my life.
Heidi helped me find a safe house where I could stay. I’ve been there a few months and it’s the perfect place for me in this time of my life.
After I got settled in, I went to YouthHope and they helped me get a job which has helped me tremendously.
Some days I get discouraged with how much further I should be in my life, but everyone at YouthHope is always there to remind me of how far I’ve come and how bright of a future I have.
Thank you YouthHope for always being there for me and for helping me become the best version of myself.
A Cry For Help
All I remember from my childhood is yelling and crying. From an early age, me and my dad would fight all the time. I would do something dumb, he would yell, I would yell, he would hit me, I would cry, and then I would run away down the street until we both calmed down.
This was repeated over and over until I was 16 when he kicked me out for good. He said I was ungrateful and he was done.
I tried moving to Vegas to stay with my cousins, but once I got there, I found out that they were nearly impossible to live with. They were mean and the job they promised wasn't even available.
After 2 months, I had no choice but to move back to Redlands. I started living in my car until I could figure things out.
I’ve been going to YouthHope since I was 14 and Heidi has been helping me anytime I needed it.
When I moved back to live in my car, I came to YouthHope broken and tired.
Heidi instantly started making phone calls and by the end of the day, she had found a foster home for me where I could move in and be safe.
I’ve been there for 6 months now and I’m so happy. I have a safe, stable place to live with people who respect me and where I can continue to grow and develop.
Without YouthHope, I would still be sleeping in my car. No one would have helped me and no one would of spent hours on the phone finding me a safe place to go.
Thank you YouthHope for always wanting the best for me and fighting for me!
