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!