When Brianna was 8 years old, she found her stepfather dead. Her childhood hadn’t been easy before that. Her parents struggled with addiction, and Brianna and her siblings spent time in foster care.

But her stepfather’s death was a trauma Brianna couldn’t get past. As she got older, she tried using drugs to push it to the back of her mind. She stopped going to school regularly, and she experienced homelessness.

“My mom had other boyfriends who didn’t like me very much, and they kicked me out of our house,” she explains.

Even though she was barely going to school, Brianna earned her GED during her junior year. After that, her drug use intensified, and she became homeless again. Life on the streets was dangerous for a teenage girl.

“I was assaulted a couple of times,” she says, “so I would try to find somewhere kinda secluded so people wouldn’t mess with me.”

Brianna’s life started to change when she got pregnant and had a son. She found an apartment and stopped using drugs for a time, but shortly after his birth, she relapsed. Her son started spending more and more time with his father’s parents. Then, Brianna got pregnant again.

“I got very depressed. My son was only 5 months old. I realized I had to grow up and stop using and put my children first,” she said.

She came to the Christian Aid Center before she gave birth to her second child, a daughter who she named Aurora. Since then, she has focused on staying sober and learning life skills like parenting, budgeting and housework. She’s also planning to go back to school to study culinary arts.

Perhaps most importantly, the CAC is showing Briana her self-worth and helping her know that God loves her. “It was hard at first to hear people say nice things about me, because I’m not really used to that. I’m still working on it, but it has really helped me in my recovery.”

Brianna has hope now thanks to the CAC and our many faithful supporters. “When I arrived, I was broken. Now, I am healing. The CAC really helped me.”

When Brianna was 8 years old, she found her stepfather dead. Her childhood hadn’t been easy before that. Her parents struggled with addiction, and Brianna and her siblings spent time in foster care.

But her stepfather’s death was a trauma Brianna couldn’t get past. As she got older, she tried using drugs to push it to the back of her mind. She stopped going to school regularly, and she experienced homelessness.

“My mom had other boyfriends who didn’t like me very much, and they kicked me out of our house,” she explains.

Even though she was barely going to school, Brianna earned her GED during her junior year. After that, her drug use intensified, and she became homeless again. Life on the streets was dangerous for a teenage girl.

“I was assaulted a couple of times,” she says, “so I would try to find somewhere kinda secluded so people wouldn’t mess with me.”

Brianna’s life started to change when she got pregnant and had a son. She found an apartment and stopped using drugs for a time, but shortly after his birth, she relapsed. Her son started spending more and more time with his father’s parents. Then, Brianna got pregnant again.

“I got very depressed. My son was only 5 months old. I realized I had to grow up and stop using and put my children first,” she said.

She came to the Christian Aid Center before she gave birth to her second child, a daughter who she named Aurora. Since then, she has focused on staying sober and learning life skills like parenting, budgeting and housework. She’s also planning to go back to school to study culinary arts.

Perhaps most importantly, the CAC is showing Briana her self-worth and helping her know that God loves her. “It was hard at first to hear people say nice things about me, because I’m not really used to that. I’m still working on it, but it has really helped me in my recovery.”

Brianna has hope now thanks to the CAC and our many faithful supporters. “When I arrived, I was broken. Now, I am healing. The CAC really helped me.”

Trauma and grief marked David’s childhood. His father died when David was just 5 years old. Then, David was a victim of abuse and molestation by a family member. The trauma left him with a lot of anger, and he turned to drugs to cope with the pain. 

David’s subsequent struggle with addiction was a rollercoaster. It led him to homelessness and legal trouble, as well as to periods of recovery and healing through his relationship with the Lord. Yet the good times only lasted so long. 

“There were crises in my life, and I didn’t know what to do. Even if I had the coping tools, I didn’t know how to apply them, and I’d turn back to the drugs. It just destroyed me.”

David had come to the Christian Aid Center before and graduated from our recovery program. So, when he was struggling with addiction again a few years later, he was embarrassed. He was afraid our staff would look at him differently—but he had to set aside his pride. His wife and 2-year-old daughter were depending on him.

“I didn’t want to leave my daughter for one second, so it was hard to come back to the CAC. But at the same time, I was in a really dark place. I didn’t want to live like this. I knew I needed to get myself right.”

David is now thriving in our supportive environment. He’s especially benefiting from classes about mental health and recovery, and he’s studying to earn a high school diploma. He wants to pursue a career in social work.

“I’m grateful to the CAC for helping me get back on my feet again. I’m figuring out my emotions and learning how to apply new coping skills to my life. It’s helping me tremendously. I feel so much better about myself.”

David is filled with thanksgiving for God’s redeeming love in his life—and your incredible generosity and support. “I know that with the Christian Aid Center’s help, I can move forward with a better mindset and a better relationship with the Lord.”

Eddie loved his mom – so much so that he moved across the country and into her home to help take care of her. He had struggled with alcohol in the past, but he was trying to leave that behind.

While Eddie was away for a few days, his sister made a decision that would change his life forever. She moved their mom into a nursing home, cleaned out the apartment where they were living and left Eddie with nothing.

“I’d been working and doing well. Now…I was homeless.”

The idea of sleeping on the streets terrified Eddie. Fortunately, he never had to. He heard about the Christian Aid Center and came looking for a safe place to stay and help to get back on his feet. Soon, he was in our Rebuilders Program. He dedicated himself to our life-skills classes and took to heart guidance from our staff. He started to heal emotionally – and over time, decided he wanted to be baptized.

"It's just amazing what God has done in my life,” Eddie says. “When I arrived at the CAC, I was down in the gutter. I had no hope.”

Now, Eddie serves in our kitchen as part of our work therapy program. He still has several months before he graduates from our Rebuilders Program, which typically takes 12-18 months to complete. At that time, he’ll be part of a formal graduation ceremony at CAC. But until then, Eddie is already enjoying the promise of a brighter future.

“Before, I was lost. Now, I’m found. I have peace of mind. I’m not stressed and worried anymore. I believe that all things are possible through Christ. I know I have a future,” he says.

Eddie is thankful for the way you have answered God’s calling to love your neighbor as yourself – and have helped him learn how to love himself.

“The Christian Aid Center is outstanding. They do so much to help people. It’s just a beautiful place.”