From homeless to business owner — Jason's found a new life, thanks to you!
Jason’s world shattered when his mother suffered a stroke. Doctors worried his mom would face longterm disabilities. Not long after, Jason’s parents painfully separated. He was only 6 years old at the time.
Jason would see his father on the weekends. But they were never close. “My dad lived in a really rundown house with no running water or electricity.”
When Jason was in high school, his mom remarried. But he and his stepdad didn’t get along either. Jason sought solace in partying with the wrong crowd. His dabbling in drugs led to frequent and harder usage in college. “A girl I was dating at the time had been addicted to oxycontin.”
Before he knew it, Jason was physically dependent upon the powerful painkillers too. Still, he managed to graduate from university.
Jason never, ever wanted to use heroin. “A guy I knew from school was like, ‘I can get you something that’s half the price of pain pills and twice as good.’”
From age 24 to 30, Jason found himself struggling with a heavy heroin addiction. He was in and out of detox centers. Yet, Jason admits that “nothing ever had the power to sustain my sobriety.”
During this season, Jason bounced between jobs. Finally, after getting fired from another restaurant position, Jason had no money left and nowhere to live.
“I was officially homeless. I felt really lost and vulnerable. It was scary.” That same day, the Search + Rescue van pulled up to where Jason was camping out. Jason shared his story with them.
The Search + Rescue team continued connecting with Jason. “They kept telling me about this yearlong program.” Jason figured he had nothing to lose.
He had already lost everything and had reached the point of surrender.
In the Mission’s recovery program, God moved in Jason’s heart. He felt the weight of his past lift off his shoulders. He experienced Jesus in a real, tangible way. “I soaked up as much wisdom from the program as I could. I also got involved in a church and had accountability.”
Now, years later, Jason credits the in-depth classes and relationships he built at the Mission as the source of his sustained sobriety.
Today, Jason has a new life. He’s a married father to three young boys and a business owner. In reflecting on his journey at the Mission, Jason says that his biggest takeaway is, “Once you start something, complete it. Complete it one day at a time.”
Here at Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission, we often talk about the power of hope. Perhaps you think of hope as a wish or an elusive feeling.
However, the Bible talks about hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. Hope is solid — not flimsy or fickle. At its core, hope is a strong belief that we can take God at His Word.
Hopelessness often sets in when someone thinks they have little control over their circumstances. Homeless neighbors who feel trapped on the streets for days, weeks, or months…begin to lose hope that their lives can look any different.
Our neighbors who feel lost and directionless begin to believe their lives can look completely different. They can find hope, healing, and a path off the streets.
This is how hope becomes firm and secure, an anchor that grounds someone through the storms of life. As our neighbors cling to the truth of God’s Word, they too, are overcomers.
— Scott Chin, President of Seattle's Union Gospel Mission
Help save a life this winter
For our homeless neighbors, the winter is about survival — trying to find something to eat or somewhere to sleep in the wind, sleet, and rain.
Every $18.15 you give now will deliver lifesaving essentials and invite someone into the Mission to find warmth, safety, and hope for a new life
Homeless neighbors are at risk of losing their lives every night they stay on the streets, so please give generously now!
