When Brianna was 8 years old, she found her stepfather dead. Her childhood hadn’t been easy before that. Her parents struggled with addiction, and Brianna and her siblings spent time in foster care. But her stepfather’s death was a trauma Brianna couldn’t get past. As she got older, she tried using drugs to push it to the back of her mind. She stopped going to school regularly, and she experienced homelessness. “My mom had other boyfriends who didn’t like me very much, and they kicked me out of our house,” she explains. Even though she was barely going to school,…

When Brianna was 8 years old, she found her stepfather dead. Her childhood hadn’t been easy before that. Her parents struggled with addiction, and Brianna and her siblings spent time in foster care. But her stepfather’s death was a trauma Brianna couldn’t get past. As she got older, she tried using drugs to push it to the back of her mind. She stopped going to school regularly, and she experienced homelessness. “My mom had other boyfriends who didn’t like me very much, and they kicked me out of our house,” she explains. Even though she was barely going to school,…

Trauma and grief marked David’s childhood. His father died when David was just 5 years old. Then, David was a victim of abuse and molestation by a family member. The trauma left him with a lot of anger, and he turned to drugs to cope with the pain.  David’s subsequent struggle with addiction was a rollercoaster. It led him to homelessness and legal trouble, as well as to periods of recovery and healing through his relationship with the Lord. Yet the good times only lasted so long.  “There were crises in my life, and I didn’t know what to do.…

Eddie loved his mom – so much so that he moved across the country and into her home to help take care of her. He had struggled with alcohol in the past, but he was trying to leave that behind. While Eddie was away for a few days, his sister made a decision that would change his life forever. She moved their mom into a nursing home, cleaned out the apartment where they were living and left Eddie with nothing. “I’d been working and doing well. Now…I was homeless.” The idea of sleeping on the streets terrified Eddie. Fortunately, he…

Tyler wanted his old life back — but for the past few years, he’d felt trapped by mental illness. It all started shortly after he graduated from college back in 2002. He was coaching basketball and looking into a career in the mortgage industry. When he was invited to go on a mission trip to Haiti, he gladly volunteered, but sadly, that was the beginning of his journey with mental health issues. “I had a bad reaction to a drug I received to prevent malaria,” he says. “After I got back from Haiti, I started experiencing some bipolar symptoms. It…

Do you ever wonder what to say when a pandhandler asks you for money? Instead of giving your spare change, put them in touch with the CAC where they have a chance at experiencing real change. We have meal cards that you can hand out to pandhandlers--maybe along with a bottle of water or a granola bar. We're happy to send these cards to you; just email Caitlin with your address and the number of cards you would like. 

When she was young, difficulties at home led Destiny to turn to food for comfort. Binge eating became an addiction that plagued her for years.  As she entered adulthood, finding a job proved challenging, if not impossible. Employers tended to overlook Destiny due to her disabilities, which were yet undiagnosed and left her confined to a wheelchair. “I had no confidence, and just felt worthless,” she says. She tried to stay afloat on her own but wound up evicted from her apartment. Just as she was trying to deal with the dire situation of homelessness, several family members and friends…

“When I got divorced a few years ago, I didn’t know what to do next. My friends were giving me bad advice and inviting me to go to bars with them. But I have two kids and wanted to make the best decisions for them. At that time, I was “couch surfing.” Even though I had my own business as a barber, I didn’t have a place to call home. One day, while cutting the hair of a regular client, I shared a bit about the struggles I was going through. He happens to be a pastor and he invited…