Ali's Story
Surviving the streets made him strong. Accepting help made him a better person.
"Living on the streets will break you down mentally if you're not strong enough," says Ali, a Covenant House California (CHC) resident. "It's hard to even find a place to rest your head without any worries."
Ali's parents passed away when he was younger. As a result, he never had a stable living situation. He lived where he could, when he could. For a while he stayed with his grandfather, then his girlfriend, and then with any friend that would have him. But soon he found that he had used up all of his options. It wasn't long until Ali was living on the streets.
"It's kind of hard being on the streets. You always have to worry about where your belongings are going to go. Drugs are always being thrown your way. It's really easy to find an excuse to use them," he says.
It was while on the streets that Ali first encountered the CHC Outreach van. "I was hanging out in Berkeley a lot and the van used to always come through to give out food, hygiene kits, and water. They told me if I needed a place to stay I should check out CHC. I was skeptical at first, but I called the number and they immediately offered me a bed."
Along with giving Ali shelter, CHC also offered him assistance with GED classes, counseling and job hunting. He says that his experiences at CHC have been good ones. "It was exciting when I first came here, just to know everything is going to be cool; just to know that you have a place to rest your head. Your basic immediate needs are being met which allows you to focus on bigger things like getting a stable life."
And Ali says he's a better person as a result. "I'd probably be in jail if not for CHC. You lean towards doing desperate things if you're homeless. It's the only option you have. CHC kept that from happening."
Ali is fortunate to have met one of our Outreach vans. Who knows how long it would have taken for him to learn about Covenant House, if at all? And we have you to thank for it. Your donations are what make these important missions to reach out to homeless youth possible. Please continue to support our efforts to get homeless teenagers off the streets and help them put their lives back on track.
|
