Q: For those who don’t know your story, could you summarize your journey to the Mission? J: I was born and raised in the church. My family moved up to Oregon in 1996 when I was most of the way through high school. I failed to get plugged in to church, I failed to get…
Read MoreSean first turned to drugs in high school to fit in with the “cool kids.” But before long, drugs took vicious control of his life, leading him down a path to homelessness and despair. He finally decided to flee from everything he’d ever known. “I needed to run away from everything I’d done. All my…
Read MoreBarbara had reached her end. Abused as a child, she took her first drink at age 12. For years, her alcoholism betrayed her – leading Barbara down a path of broken relationships and pain. She was ready to be done. “I completely gave up. I checked into a motel room ready to end my life.…
Read MoreYou may have seen this story we launched earlier this spring featuring Doug, a man going through our New Life Ministry addiction recovery program. WATCH: Doug’s Story of Hope video Since his story and video were released about 2 months ago, Doug has received overwhelming feedback and encouragement from friends and family. “They say I’ve…
Read MoreRachel awoke on a pile of dirt, freezing cold. It took her a minute, but then she remembered what happened. She had entered Shepherd’s Door, our addiction recovery program for women, but a series of poor choices led to her having to leave. Now she was alone, back on the streets, a place she’d vowed…
Read MoreDoug knows what it’s like to try to fall asleep on the streets. Lonely. And cold. “I remember waking up soaked to the bone. Freezing rain was falling on me. Someone at a gas station gave me some coffee, but I couldn’t even drink it. Every time I’d bring the cup to my lips, it…
Read MoreJust two years ago, Ryan was addicted to heroin. Dwight was sleeping on the streets, miserable. And Jeremy was sitting on the I-84 overpass, trying to build up the courage to jump after his meth addiction had torn all hope away. But instead of succumbing to drugs, suicide, and hopelessness, each man found his way to The…
Read MoreJohn distinctly remembers sitting in his bedroom as a teenager just waiting for his dad to come home from work. “I would sit there listening for him to come up the stairs, sitting back waiting for the confrontation. That would be scary. One time I actually pulled a bag out and put it over my…
Read MoreKathy isn’t a middle-aged man. She’s never slept on the streets of downtown Portland, and she’s never held a cardboard sign on a street corner. When you hear the words “homeless person,” you probably would never imagine someone like Kathy. But just a year ago, Kathy was indeed homeless. Her heroin addiction had robbed her…
Read MoreDwight hated his life. He isolated himself from his family, embarrassed to tell them that he was often homeless. He always put on a smiling face for friends and family, but he was dying inside. He often considered suicide. Since coming to Portland Rescue Mission, Dwight has healed from the demons of his past and…
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