Client Gives Back to Shelter

Luis became homeless at the age of 17, when his mother no longer wanted to take care of him. After years of sleeping on public transit and struggling with substance abuse, he came to one of our overnight shelters.

At the beginning of the pandemic, Luis was offered a room at our Interim Housing Program—he was one of the very first participants. As part of the program, Luis had a case manager who guided his path to finding a permanent home. Luis shared, “Housing Forward helped me. My case managers taught me how to live independently and lined me up with the right steps and resources.” Luis finally moved into his own studio apartment in Oak Park.

Last March, at our temporary overnight shelter at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Luis volunteered two nights a week alongside Mary, a staff member he knew from Interim Housing. Luis also volunteers with an organization that provides basic needs for those experiencing homelessness. He brought clothes and non-perishable food items to the shelter to distribute to clients there. Luis wants to help others in our community and hopes to work for a homelessness agency someday to help those experiencing homelessness, the way he did years ago.