“I was my own lord and savior at that time.”
Though there are often common elements in paths to homelessness, everyone has a unique story. Sadly, many trace the roots to childhood trauma. For others, the journey to homelessness looks very different.
“I was a real estate agent for many years and had an investment real estate business … and had boats and houses and cars … ” Lisa says. “My children had everything they ever wanted.”
"I ended up losing everything"
Though she seemingly had it all, by the world’s standards, Lisa was missing something. “I was my own lord and savior at that time,” she says. After a car accident, she became addicted to prescription drugs.
As Lisa’s addiction took hold, she became homeless. “It was pretty devastating,” she shares. “Once I started down that journey, I ended up losing everything between my home, my kids, my job, my self-respect. Everything.”
“I got down on my knees and I prayed to God.”
While homeless, Lisa’s life spiraled further down as she constantly looked for her next fix. “Once you get on that path, you’re not thinking straight anymore,” she says. “Your focus is on whatever you can do to get your next pill.”
Lisa spent several years in homelessness, mostly motel-hopping and couch-surfing, and occasionally on the streets as well. She eventually reached a pivotal point. “I got down on my knees and I prayed to God,” she says. “I was just so desperate … I just cried out to God … ‘Help me, help me.’ The following day, she wound up in jail, where she stayed for nearly a year.
"I learned who Jesus was and how He could change my life.”
While in jail, Lisa met a Mission graduate, who helped her get into Hope Place, the Mission’s year-long recovery program for women.
Lisa not only worked on her recovery at Hope Place, but she also grew in her relationship with God. “I was raised in religion and love,” she says, “but I never really had a relationship with Jesus … I learned who Jesus was and how He could change my life.”
After graduating from Hope Place, Lisa stayed on at the Mission. She now works as the Associate Vice President of Women and Children’s Ministries.
“I just love the work I do,” Lisa says. “I am so blessed. I can’t believe that God put me in a place where I get to impact men, women, and children in the streets, to have restored lives again and changed lives and just to meet Jesus.”
