No Longer Homeless!

Imagine the transformative power of offering hope and support through kind words of wisdom. Imagine the profound impact of restoring a sense of value and love to someone who feels unwanted. Imagine witnessing the triumph of success in the face of adversity. In ALMS, we witness these transformations all the time. 

In the fall of 2024, a young man, 24 years old, was caught stealing food, and the DA's office, Restorative Justice Program, referred him to ALMS when he asked for a mentor. He was homeless. ALMS was there to put our arms around him, give him what he needed, and encourage him along the way. We were light in a dark time.

You would think this young man, 6'6, probably 260 pounds, wrapped in his hoody, low voice, feeling quite unloved and living in his car, was destined to land in prison, join a gang, or give up on life. ALMS says – Not if we can help.

Of course, we can't always force people to change their lives, but we can offer a hand up. We can teach them how to fish instead of just giving them a fish, and that's what happened to this young man.

When we met him, he had just gotten his first job, which is very hard for a homeless person to do. Each week, he met with ALMS mentors who encouraged him through the ALMS curriculum, told their personal stories of struggles, and let him know that they saw him for his strengths and weaknesses and accepted him for who he was—not who they wanted him to be. He returned each week for eight weeks. On the last day, they got him shoes and clothing for interviews.

It's been four months since they last saw this young man. Last week their phone rang. It was him. This young man had taken a second job when they last saw him, but now he had an additional part-time third job. He called to report that he was lying on the floor of his new apartment, a testament to the life-changing impact of the ALMS program! Who says homeless youth are lazy??? They just need help.

"Thank you, man. I just wanted to say - you will never know how much you helped me," the young man said. "I mean that. You will never know." 

As mentors, we can speak life into the long, dark hole that traps so many of our youth. But we can't do it alone. We need your support. Let our mission become your mission, and together, we can make a difference.  

Imagine - the impact of changing the trajectory of just one young person’s life. “We would actually change more than that person because we would change how they choose their spouse, love their children, invest into their community, improve their planet – and maybe save the world.”