“The Mission didn’t just give me shelter. It gave me hope, healing and a reason to live.” Margaret’s childhood was defined by both love and loss. Moments with her father were happy, but her mother’s substance abuse drew Margaret into drugs by age 12. Years of broken trust, poor choices and dangerous living followed – until she found herself sleeping

“But they didn’t give up on me. The Mission gave me a chance to sit down, detox and get my mind right.” Raised by his grandmother in a tight-knit neighborhood, Jay had plenty of love and attention. But without the presence of a father figure, he strayed into dangerous territory. As he reached his midtwenties, he’d survived substance abuse, prison

 “This place gave me something I hadn’t had in a long time: hope.” Tanya’s life unraveled when her husband went to prison. Left to raise her six children all alone, she struggled to stay afloat – financially and emotionally. Finally, the weight of it all became too much to bear. Desperate to ease her stress, she made some poor choices.