meet our clients
Derrick Lyons
Years ago, Derrick Lyons was at his lowest. Struggling with being laid off, homelessness, addiction, and strained relationships with his family, Derrick’s mind wandered to dark places.
“I’ve never really told anybody this except for my therapist. I wanted to kill myself. The doctor said that’s what happens when you’re on the streets for a long time. You’re by yourself, it was hard.”
Kayla Wallace
“I was homeless, but no one knew I was homeless. That includes my family. I think that was probably because I was embarrassed more than anything,” said Kayla. “I stayed on trains for several months, whereas sometimes I would be spending the night at a friend’s house. They would assume that I was still in my own place but they didn’t know that I was staying with them because I didn’t have nowhere else.”
Robin Petites
Shortly after having her son in 2019, Robin Petites found herself without stable housing. Her son stayed with his grandparents, while she couch surfed at friends’ apartments or slept in her car. Often to break up this routine, Robin relied on restaurants and other establishments she could go in and enjoy a meal. During winters especially, those businesses ensured she did not have to stay outside in the cold. But when the pandemic started, many of the places Robin relied on for respite closed. She had to find new places to safely sleep in her car, since previously populated parking lots were emptier. An already challenging situation became a lot harder due to COVID.
DeWayne Elliot
DeWayne Elliot was connected to housing through the Flexible Housing Pool. “Three years ago, I was experiencing homelessness. Since I’ve gotten in this program, I have done nothing but move up,” he says. The connections to services and resources he accessed through CHH were invaluable. “CHH’s Supportive Services gave me more ease of mind and a more level head. ‘Cause then I knew that I had support. I never had somebody before on the backend who was rooting for me like, ‘we got your back.'”