I have been to every state except two. There is something medically wrong with my heart. I carry a stack of my medical papers around with me wherever I go in my suitcase so the doctors can understand what is going on. The staff here at the shelter save a lower bunk for me because they know that I can’t get into an upper bunk.

The shelter and the staff have the power to change people’s lives. You can sleep well here and you can take a shower and have hygiene. This builds confidence so that you can go out and strive for life.

When I was younger people use to ask me if they could take my photograph because I had such beautiful eyes. Now, I am here. My husband has been in and out of the hospital. The shelter has let us both stay here when he was sick— before and after the hospital— and I can stay here while he is getting the care he needs there.

I was a very successful physical trainer, making a lot of money. My girlfriend broke up with me and I relapsed into my addiction. I was down to 130 pounds. The shelter has given me a place to start to build my strength back.

My brother and I went to 23 different foster homes within one year. I want to go to school for sociology so that I can work with kids in foster care to keep them out of addiction and jail. I want to be able to use my own experiences to help others. My mom died last year and I had a tumor in my leg so I couldn’t keep working. The shelter gave me a roof over my head, food, this shirt, the shoes... The experience has been good. I am 23 years old.

I slept on the ground last night. This is my first experience being homeless. Someone brought me here at 4 in the morning and they let me stay the rest of the night. It was snowing. I want to let the staff know that they are the best people in the world. Without them I would have no place to stay, nowhere to be.

I spent time in jail for something that I didn’t do. Staying and working as a volunteer at the shelter is helping me save money so that I can get a train ticket back home where my wife and daughter are. Part of my duties are carrying food, folding blankets, checking people when they come in.