I met Angel in Shawnee, Oklahoma. With no place to stay all winter, he called an abandoned house home during the cold months. He had to sneak in late at night and leave early in the morning, often going days without food.
He’s suffered from drug and alcohol abuse, but he has been drug-free for two years and sober for two months. Despite these victories, Angel was recently diagnosed with mental health issues–schizophrenia and clinical depression.
It’s these mental health issues and 15-year-old felonies that haunt him in his job search. Despite going to church to help avoid things that left him homeless in the first place, it’s hard for Angel to stay on the right path while he’s homeless, especially with how others treat him.
“I guess people who are doing okay don’t like the way we are.” Having lived on both sides of homelessness, I know just how true this can be. Do you?
