Losing It All To Drugs; Gaining It Back With God
“To be blunt, I was disgusting,” Patrick said as he recalls living on the street. “I was hungry, dirty – no one even bothered to look at me because I looked like just another homeless crack head. And they were right.” Patrick had it all – a house, a job, a car – everything he […]
Family Stays Together While Getting Back On Their Feet
Jennifer and her three children came to the Orlando Union Rescue Mission in 2004 after Jennifer was laid off from her job. Since she was living paycheck to paycheck, she knew the family would face eviction and immediately started researching different shelters so they would not end up on the streets. “If I had financially […]
Brenda Uses Life’s Detours to Chart New Course
If you would have told Brenda in January 2010 that she would be homeless by the end of the year, she wouldn’t have believed you. She was married and living in an apartment with her husband. Her car got her to and from the various jobs she was assigned through a temp agency. In short, […]
Thomas receives help, now pays it forward
Thomas, a single father and immigrant from Mexico, wanted the same for his two young children that all parents want: a chance at a life filled with possibility and opportunity. But in 2003, he injured his hand while working at a local restaurant and was told by doctors that the injury was so serious he […]
In His Own Words, Scott’s Story of Redemption
On Aug. 24, 2012, our family came to the Mission because we had absolutely nowhere else to go. Before we found the Mission, we had been living in a cheap, roach-infested motel with very little to eat. We had come to the point where the only next option for us was to literally sleep in […]
Faith Helps Anthony Win Battle With Addiction
Anthony had chosen the bottle over his long-time girlfriend, Denise, for the final time. They had lived together for almost seven years, but the last few had been wrought with battles over Anthony’s growing problem with drugs and alcohol. One night in October 2009, Anthony returned home drunk, yet again, breaking promises that he would […]
Couple Finds Relief From Pressure of Crushing Debt
Nicole and Israel were at their breaking point. They sat with their two children in a dark room – with no money to pay the past-due electric bill and no food in the pantry. They had left their home country of Puerto Rico in hopes of pursuing the “American Dream,” but the dream had turned […]
Time at the Mission Restores Olivia’s Dignity
Olivia’s heart broke when she heard that both of her nephews’ parents were sent to jail in late 2010. The three boys, ranging in age from 2 months to 4 years old, were all alone with no one to love and care for them. She couldn’t bear the thought of them staying with anyone except […]
Crystal Learns the Skills to Become a Better Parent
When Crystal heard that her sister would be having a life-threatening delivery of her baby in 2009, she immediately took her three kids, left her Boston home and flew to Orlando to take care of her. Doctors initially thought her sister would be in the hospital for only a few weeks, but the complications grew […]
Evelyn’s Tale of Triumph in Her Own Words
Before I share with you how the Mission has changed my life, please allow me to share a bit about what homelessness can look like. Sometimes it’s a grimy man or woman sitting on a park bench, but other times it looks perfectly normal – just like you. People don’t know you are falling through […]