Well where do I begin? I could start from the beginning of my homelessness, not in a literal sense but spiritually speaking. Because I was with my mother who dragged me and my siblings into meth houses and made me watch my siblings in environments that no child should be exposed to. Or I could recite the time in one of these houses that my mother left me there with these people who were nice, but were rather short on money. They went to McDonalds' and I pleaded with them to get me something to eat. Or I could tell you about the times when I was degraded for doing childish things, being called names like "piece of crap," "worthless," and "stupid." Or I could share my experience of being hit in the head with the mop because I drained it in the sink of the kitchen instead of the bathroom.

My quest for independence began on or sometime around Christmas of 2004 and it was unsettling as I made my way into my first halfway house. There were many pit falls, ups and downs, and all together unwise decisions that I made. But basically two years of homelessness wrapped me up and it never seemed like I would change for the better. But things did change and they did get better.

Upon my reentry into the HomeBase program I continued to make my way and now I've continued working the same job for more than five months now without one day missed!! I also have $1,200 saved up -- that's all my money that I have saved. In addition, I never thought I'd be in college but now I'm enrolled in Phoenix College! But really the best thing that HomeBase has done for me is giving me the leniency to express the "OK." In other words to be myself, not my Dad and not my Uncle Jeff, just me. And it taught me that I don't have to be anybody but myself and that's good enough. I'm learning to express emotions that I didn't know how to express before, that I didn't even know how to address.

So in conclusion, I'd like to say I'm not perfect…. All my problems aren't gone, but I'm standing up for myself and I believe in me.