When we first met, Hobbit* slept in the newspaper recycling bin in the parking lot of the downtown Safeway.

We received multiple calls telling us about a young man holding a cardboard sign on the corner of 11th and Callow. Hobbit remembers when we arrived to meet him. That was December 2009.

This last month (6 years later!) Hobbit received the first paycheck he had ever earned.

Since we met Hobbit he has been to California and back, slept in tents and abandoned buildings. Hobbit has entered and exited case management countless times (once burning his case file on our front steps!).

This year he committed to raising his girlfriend’s children and knew that meant “putting food on the table.” Last month case managers helped him to an entry level position. With 1.4 hours on his first time card Hobbit brought home a $13 check. And we celebrated!

*Hobbit is the youth’s street name

Thank you for joining us in creating opportunities for homeless youth.