Meet Lamont

At age 4, Lamont and his 3 siblings were taken into the foster care system in San Bernardino, California, and over the next 14 years he was relocated a dozen times, his siblings were separated at age 8, and he hasn’t seen them since.

The day he turned 18, he was asked to leave the boys home where he had spent the last 4 years living. He was given a backpack and one set of clothes and a bus ticketto wherever he wanted to go. Lamont opted to go to Seattle and went to a homeless shelter (rescue mission) and started taking college classes. But the shelter onlyallowed him to stay for 2 months, which led to his becoming one of many foster kids who are homeless. He slept in orchards until the weather got too cold, and went to church after church looking for assistance. Eventually Lamont got more “help” from a pastor who bought himanother bus ticket and sent him on his way.

But Lamont opted to head our way, to the Valley of the Sun in Phoenix, Arizona, where the weather is better. Upon his arrival, he worked hard to stay off the streets by staying in local shelters, but they all have time limits and very little in consistent resources. And these shelters havea massive amount of drug and other dangers lurking in the shadows. Lamont knew he had to get away from that to survive.

So he traveled to the west side and ended up sleeping behind the Library in the Phoenix suburb of Peoria. Close by, there is a coffee shop (Driftwood) attached to a small church called Axiom. A few months ago, Lamont was hungry and walked in looking for a meal. That’s when Sergio from our YHOH network got a phone call.

To start off, Driftwood’s owner jumped in and immediately got some short term support, while a family from the Axiom church set up a room in their house for Lamont, all of which is a huge blessing to start.

Sergio has directly and tirelessly helped the homeless in the Phoenix valley for many years, but this is the first time he has encountered a young man like this who has stayed focused on trying to change his world in spite of all the hardships he has faced. No drugs or alcohol for Lamont. He is a fine young man who is quiet, intelligent and kind. He just needs us to help him pull it all together.

Two years on the streets has its effect on people, and even though we now have Lamont set up on Arizona’smedicaid program (AHCCCS), there are still costs that we must cover to give him a fighting chance. His dental workalone is going to be a huge undertaking, and even with insurance, it’s still going to cost more than $2k out of pocket. That’s one real need right there

But the other need is to give him time to get stable, get back in school, and get the counseling he needs to change his word around. Our YHOH friends are dedicated to making this happen by providing him with our time, shuttling him to and from appointments, and providing him with the knowledge and skills we all take for granted because our parents were there to teach us. And most of all, we are providing him with real love that will not turn its back on him. Our YHOH friends are dedicated to getting him the real start into adulthood that he deserves. That part is priceless.

But we could really use your help with some funds to get this done!!! Can you join us in making an enormous difference in Lamont’s life? Every donation you make to YHOH for Lamont will be used 100% for his benefit to set him up for a much brighter future.