PEOPLE SPOTLIGHT
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Pictured: Kristina H. (left) with H4H advocacy director Armita N.
Kristina is originally from Michigan and has been homeless since 9th grade after leaving the abusive household she was adopted into. From Michigan she moved to California where she met two girls who promised her housing in Florida if she married their uncle Jeff. However, once marrying Jeff and moving to Florida she was abandoned by them and became homeless once again. This caused her to fall into a cycle of depression and other mental health issues. Florida was also very harsh to her, she was constantly worried about who to trust and who not to. With all the hardships she went through she started having suicidal thoughts which worsened as she was unable to find a hospital that listened to her and admitted her. This was until she admitted her thoughts to the police who found a behavioral hospital that would take her in. Unfortunately, she soon got kicked out of the hospital on the accusation that she stole from another patient there. Being kicked out of the facility caused her to be refused any service so she had no housing and got no help with food. Kristina regularly comes to the Christian Service Center where food shares are conducted through the weekdays and also stops by Hearts for the Homeless to get her blood pressure taken. She has found a group of reliable friends in Florida and has recently gotten engaged to her childhood bestfriend, Tess!
Pictured: Clyde (left) with H4H advocacy director Armita N.
Homelessness started at a very early age for Clyde. Clyde lost his mom at the age of three or four and was put in the foster care system which separated him and his brother. He spent the next three years with his foster mom and after she passed away ,when Clyde was six, he moved in with his older brother and aunt. His new household had a very toxic and abusive environment which caused Clyde to run away from home at the age of ten and return to the foster system for the next four years. Through all the hardships, he started to get involved with drugs in his teenage years and was imprisoned for stealing and shoplifting on multiple occasions. Clyde was heavily addicted to drugs till 2015 but he has slowly been on the path of recovery and on a self healing journey with the help of God. Clyde’s motto is to “put your faith in God and let God lead you towards what you are meant to become”.
Pictured: Tim
The story of TIm is one of the most fascinating ones I have heard thus far. His story starts in Los Angeles, California where his parents were a part of a great christian movement. The church they used to reside at, got infiltrated by criminals who used the temple for drug deals and illegal pornography. After a few of his parent’s friends were killed by this gang, his parents felt unsafe and fled the church which left them homeless for more than 8 years. Tim attended public school up to 7th grade and then was homeschooled for the rest of his education. His parents only had 4th grade education so they could not offer him a lot of resources and purely made him memorize the GEP book in order to get his diploma. Tim also never had a stable home, he stated that “he never spent more than 2 years in the same location”. From Idaho to Washington to Arizona, Tim often felt lost about his purpose in the world. Tim had to face a lot of trauma and grow up faster than his age which caused him to commit a crime in his early years and get thrown in Jail for 20 years. Tim compared living at jail to living in the coalition army. After his 20 year sentence, he went back to California in hopes of finding his brother but soon found out that his brother was nowhere to be found. With no money and no family, Tim set out to Florida in hopes of finding a job and financial independence. Within two weeks of moving to Florida, Tim was able to get hired for a cleaning company and will be starting his job soon. Tim hopes to start a drug free clinic to help people recover from addiction through meditations and the ways that has helped him with his addiction. He is also fascinated with the world of science and would love to do research in genetics or electromagnetism. Tim has finally found a footing and has a bright plan for the future.
Pictured: Rufus (left) with H4H advocacy director Armita N.
Rufus, 59 years old, is originally from Michigan and has dealt with being homeless since the beginning of 2021. Rufus attended University for three years and studied customer service. After dropping out of college, he worked in Michigan at a car repair company for more than 12 consecutive years. Rufus' story begins when he sets out to Florida in hopes of a change of scenery. However, soon after his move, Rufus got into a physical altercation with an old friend/neighbor over financial matters and was taken to jail. Due to his prior criminal records, Rufus faced harsh consequences and lost the balance of his life after being thrown in jail. After serving his time, Rufus was evicted from his apartment, in which he had resided for more than 10 years, and was mandated to attend anger management classes for 8 weeks which cost more than $300 in total. Lack of housing combined with having to spend the last of his money on his mandated anger management classes, caused Rufus to ultimately end up on the streets. When asked to share one piece of advice with the world, Rufus stated “Try to learn and listen to your peers because those will be the people that will guide you in your life”. Rufus is currently in search of government funded housing and is a regular at our blood pressure screenings.
Pictured: Joey
Joey has been homeless on and off for the majority of his life. He has spent most of his time staying with different friends and couch hopping around but after losing that support, he has been on the streets for the past few months. He graduated high school and got his GEP and aims to go back to school to continue his education but wants to make a stable income before pursuing college. Unfortunately, Joey lost his dad at the age of 17 and his mom became entangled with drugs. The loss of his dad and his mom becoming addicted to various drugs, led his family to lose the stable footing they had and they ended up on the streets. Joey believes that his family dynamic and being introduced to homelessness and drug abuse from a young age ultimately led him to where he is now. Joey is dedicated to never getting involved with drugs and seems to have a real commitment to improving himself. Hearts for Homeless was able to introduce him to resources that will help him along the path such as Shepherd's Hope and the Samaritan Resource Center.
Pictured: Esther V.
I had the honor of meeting Esther at a resume workshop that was conducted by Hearts for the Homeless. Esther was such a kind, hardworking and radiant soul and her story shows just that. Esther has held a variety of jobs to make a source of income including being a caretaker, a bill collector agent at Verizon and various customer service jobs. She spent a great deal of her time taking care of her elderly mother and raising her beautiful children. Esther is now responsible for taking care of her grandkids because her daughter is unable to. Esther attended Valencia College and was able to become certified in Distribution Operations and is currently seeking a job in the warehouse industry. Esther seemed like a driven, loving and motivated individual and our team hopes that she secures an amazing job that will make all the hard work pay off.