Do you remember a time when someone was living on the streets because they lost their job or had bad luck? In fact, it still happens today, and sometimes our loved ones are to blame.
These are the stories of five people who lost their homes when things were worst in their lives. They never lost hope, even though they were about to face much tougher problems.
1. Amber: I had to go without food for a whole week in order to buy a phone.
I learned the hard way that life has a way of taking you off guard. That’s my name.
I thought I had the perfect life until recently. I had a beautiful house, my husband Louis, and our son Allen. We looked so happy. But all of a sudden, things changed.
Louis said to Amber one night as he was packing up, “I think we rushed into things.” I’m sorry, but I can’t go on like this!”My heart broke.
To make sure he was joking, I begged, “Louis, please tell me you’re kidding.” You can’t just leave us! How about Allen? He is only two years old!“
He replied, “That’s the exact problem, Amber!””I am worn out from all the duties. I need some alone time. I’ve found someone who understands what I’m feeling. Just let me go, please.”
When he left that night, I just broke. How could the man I loved, who never showed any signs of sadness, decide all of a sudden to leave his family?
After Louis left, I was hit hard by the truth. It was hard to find a job while taking care of Allen by myself.
Our owner kicked us out after two weeks because I couldn’t pay the rent. Allen was taken away by social services because they thought he would be safer away from our dangerous situation.
I was upset and didn’t have a place to stay that night. My kids, my babies, were taken from me.
Giving away everything I owned, even my phone, helped me get by for a while. The money ran out in the end.
One night, I was outside in the cold and thought about how my dad had warned me about Louis. My dad had told me, “He’s not the right man for you.” I wish I had paid attention. In a last-ditch effort to get in touch with him, I bought a phone.
I knew that if I called him on a borrowed phone, he might not answer the first or even second time. I would still have to give it my all. Or maybe no one would give their phone to a poor woman like me. I needed my own cell phone.
Because of this, I didn’t eat for a week to save money for a used phone. I couldn’t stop crying when I called my dad, and he answered.
“Hello, who is this?” he asked.“
In tears, I said, “It’s… Amber, Dad” into the phone.
“I love you, Amber!” Is that you? Oh my goodness! What’s going on?“
“Dad, I need your help!”“
“Honey, is everything all right?”“
“Please come right away, Dad!”I answered.
He came right away, and I told him everything I knew about the abuse and my time living on the streets and in a hotel room. My dad told me that everything would be okay.
The next day, my dad and I went to the orphanage to start the papers we needed to bring Allen home. After everything was over, my dad drove Allen and me to New York.
He also hired a private detective to find out where Louis was. It turned out that Louis had been having an affair with his boss’s daughter while claiming to be single.
When Louis’s boss found out the truth—that he was married and had left his family—he fired him. In the end, Louis was without a place to live. I wasn’t glad he died, but I thought justice had been done.
Being at home with my dad and Allen made me feel better. Life taught me to be strong even when it hurt me. And I was sure that with Dad’s help, we could handle whatever came next.
Dad told me, “Life can be hard, but so are you, Amber,” as we watched Allen play one day. I will always be there for you.
I thanked him from the bottom of my heart. “Thanks, Dad.” For everything.
When I put Allen to bed that night, I thought about our future together. Even though it wouldn’t be easy, we were ready for whatever came next because we had love and support. We all have a hard time in life. We should be excited about the new starts that are coming our way.
Brandon is a father of three who doesn’t have a home and lives in a tent. His story will be told next. One day, he chose to put someone else’s wants ahead of his own, and that changed his whole life.
2. I gave my last two dollars to a stranger at a petrol station, and the next day I got his business.
During the four months I lived on the streets with my three kids, I learned a lot about how hard life can be and how small acts of kindness can keep hope alive.
A tent next to a petrol station, which we used as a temporary home, didn’t really protect us from the weather or the strange looks of other people. Even though things were hard, we were able to make the best of them by laughing and being happy sometimes.
One cold morning, I decided to use the few cents I had left to buy a can of beans for our dinner.
Inside, I saw something that made my heart beat fast. At the bar, there was an old man with a confused look on his face.
“Excuse me, young lady. What did you say about how funny the water was?””The man said.
“Money!” yelled the cashier. I told you, sir, that you don’t have enough money!“
He knew what she was upset about and replied, “Yes, it was a sunny day!”“
When a kid in queue grabbed the older man by the shoulder and yelled, “You need more money!” For the water!” into his ear, things got hotter.
My heart broke as I watched. In a nice way, the old man asked for a smaller, cheaper bottle of water to help him take his pills, but he was turned down. “If you can’t pay, you’ll have to leave!” yelled the cashier.“
I couldn’t just stand there and watch. I took a step forward and set my cup of change on the counter. I chose to pay for the man’s water and told the woman, “Have a heart.”
The cashier took the money reluctantly after counting it with dislike. I guess that’s all there was to it, she said. I put the can of beans on the counter and gave the old man some water.
I told him, “Here you go, sir.” “I got you some water,” I said, making sure you could see my lips. He was having trouble listening.
He asked me, “Why did you help me when you needed money so badly?”“as we were leaving the store, he saw my tent next to my daughter, who was helping her brothers do their laundry.
When people are nice to each other, the world works. That’s the one thing I’ve learned from being homeless, sir. It’s too bad that no one was going to help you at the shop, I told her.
“What are your kids going to eat?” he asked with worry.“
I lied to him, “We still have some bread from yesterday, and I might be able to find some leftovers at the fast food place across the street.” But I wasn’t sure.
The next morning, life changed in ways that no one saw coming. Two jeeps pulled up next to our tent, and a man in a suit came out with a package.
“Mr. “This was Grives’ last wish for me to give it to you,” he said. I was completely shocked when I got a letter giving me the keys to his business.
I was shocked and confused and asked, “Is this some kind of joke?”“
Official papers were shown to me by the person to prove that the offer was real. I was both excited and nervous as I signed the papers. This could be the break my kids and I need to get off the streets and into a real house.
We were taken to a huge colonial-style house that was very different from our little tent. “Is it possible for us to pitch a tent under that pink flower tree?”Derrick, my youngest child, went on and on.
“We’re going to live in that house, silly!” my daughter Kelly said. Okay, Dad?“
As I nodded, the truth of our new life began to sink in. But I knew something wasn’t right as soon as I opened both doors. The place was a mess; it looked like someone had been there, and their intentions were scary.
When I called 911, the officer said, “We’ve searched the whole house and haven’t found any signs of forced entry, sir.” He also said, “The fact that the security system seems to have been bypassed using the correct code suggests that whoever damaged this property had a legal way to get in.”
I thought this was the old man’s son doing it because he wanted to get everything he had. As I thought about what to do next, I saw another piece of the puzzle.
Someone named Christopher told the company that he used to work with Mr. Grives and that I owed him $2 million for doing something wrong.
He pointed a gun at me and told me I had to pay the money right away. Even though I said “yes,” I felt like I needed to ask more. During my research, I found a hidden ledger that proved the wrongdoing.
But Mr. Grives didn’t seem like the kind of person who would do something wrong, so I looked into it more. I found out that Christopher was Mr. Grives’s son, and he was using his own shady actions to force me to do what he wanted.
During all of this chaos, Christopher took my kids away. He was in a hurry to get the money, so I had to move quickly. In secret, I worked for the FBI. Putting a tracker in the company records and catching Christopher while he was acting was their simple but risky plan.
The process went well, which is good news. Christopher had been arrested and my kids were safe. It hurt and made me happy at the same time, though. Things that belonged to the company were frozen, and I might have to go bankrupt.
Kelly asked her dad, “Daddy, are we going to leave our house again…just like we did when Mommy died?””Her question broke the ice.”
My three kids were in my arms when I got down on my knees. You three need to pay attention. There are still many issues to work out, but we’ll be fine. Do you want to know why?“
Their sharp, interested eyes fell on mine.
“Because right now, in my arms, is the most valuable thing we have.” We’ll always be rich in the best way: love as long as we stay together. Kids, the world’s money comes and goes, but our love for each other is a gift that can’t be taken away.
It was the chaos of our new life at that very moment that I realised we had each other, no matter what was to come. That was more than enough. While Mr. Greg did have children, they did not teach him the value of love and kindness. The next story to be told is his.
3. Mr. Greg: I had to teach my teen daughter a lesson after she made fun of homeless people.
I always thought that I was giving my daughter Jane the best care possible. I made sure she had everything she needed, but I forgot to teach her an important value: to care about other people. This really upset me when I lost my cash a few days ago.
After a fruitless search, Jane was at our door making fun of a homeless dad and his daughter. The shock came when the man gave me my wallet without being asked, even though he needed it.
Even though Jane called them “trash,” I was impressed by how politely the man gave back the wallet. That’s when I knew I had to fix this for Jane as well as them.
That night, I invited the man, Mark, and his daughter, Lolita, to dinner. Jane and I had the chance to show her kindness.
Jane yelled, “Dad, check the money!” while I was looking through my wallet. He most likely took it!”Everything was where it belonged.” “This is where all the money is, honey.” That’s not right, I told her.
I asked Mark and Lolita to stay for dinner when I saw that they were feeling uneasy.
“Why don’t you guys join us?””This is the very least I can do to thank you.”
Because Jane was so upset, she served dinner on paper plates instead of real ones.
I told her, “Why don’t you use the nice dishes I got you for your birthday?” to teach her how to be polite.“
At the dinner table, I told Mark to tell his story, but Jane wouldn’t stop being rude. It was finally too much for me.
“Shut up, Jane!” I yelled.”You don’t know anything about their lives.” Bad luck could happen to anyone.
Then I told Jane something very bad that was true. “I’m to blame.” There were times when I worked too much, like after your mother died. “At one point, we were just like them,” I said. Are you sure you remember our “camping trips”? At that time, we were actually homeless.
Jane looked shocked. She asked in a low voice, “How did we get back up?”“
I sighed and said, “A nice man hired me.” “That made our lives different.”
Then I turned around to face Mark. I told him, “When I saw you today, I knew it was my turn to repay the favour.”
Mark smiled and nodded. “Every day is a surprise.” “Kindness can change everything sometimes,” he said.
Jane took a moment to say, “I’m sorry, Dad.” I didn’t know.”
I tried to make her feel better by telling her, “It’s okay, honey.” You can still learn and grow from this.
That’s when I asked Mark and Lolita to leave. “We have plenty of room, and it’s getting late,” I said.
Mark reluctantly agreed after some thought. “Thank you, Greg.” It means a lot.
I knew, though, that I could still help them. Their problems would not be solved by giving them a place to stay the night. This led me to make a choice.
Believe it or not, being kind doesn’t cost anything, and I was ready to make sure that Lolita and her dad were happy.
The next day, I found them a temporary place to stay and offered Mark a job as a driver. I told her, “I’ll do everything I can to help you get back on your feet.”
Mark yelled, “Oh, God!”Mark told me with tears in his eyes, “Nobody is so nice these days, sir.” “Thank you, sir. I won’t let you down.” Thanks a lot!“
When I saw Lolita’s happy face that day, I knew I had made the right choice. When it comes to Jane, my Janie has changed. That made her grow up, which made me very happy.
That’s not the end, though. There are other people who also chose to make the life of a poor person better.
In the next story, Nancy is the main character. She did the kind thing of helping her poor ex-partner get back on his feet. But what will happen if her ex-partner tries to keep her from seeing her new partner?
4. Nancy: What my ex-boyfriend did next made me cry after I helped him on the street.
As I left the office, the thought of going to a show with my boyfriend Paul made me feel better. He surprised me by getting me tickets to see an artist I loved.
After being with Christian for a year and a half, everything seemed great, until I saw my ex-partner.
“Excuse me, ma’am,” a voice jolted me out of my thoughts. Could you give me some cash?“
There was a sound that I knew.
When I turned around, I saw a homeless man looking at Christian from the top of my office building.
I got closer because I was interested. “Joe?””I told him who he was.”
Joe looked away after a quick peek up. Yes, it was my high school sweetheart Joe. He looked messy, with a ragged beard and worn-out clothes.
Christian came up to her, looking angry. “What’s going on here?” he asked sharply.Then he asked.
I said, “This is Joe.” “We went to the same high school.”
Christian looked disgusted. “This… beggar?”“
When I held Joe, he jerked, but I didn’t pay attention to him.
Joe was pushed out of anger by Christian. “Avoid her!yelled he angrily at Joe.
I thought that was not the right way to treat someone. “Could you please let me talk to him?””What do you think?” I asked Christian.
“All right, let’s start right away.” He crossed his arms and said, “We have some plans.”
I turned around and saw Joe. “Hey Joe, what happened?” You… here?“
“Life, I guess,” Joe said with a shrug.
In this state, I couldn’t leave him. I told him I was sorry and gave him money to buy new clothes and a place to stay. “Why don’t you stop by the business tomorrow?” “You might be able to find work,” I told her.
“Thank you, Nancy,” Joe replied with thanks. “I’m going to keep my promise.”
Christian ran back to the car with all his might. It made me feel good to help Joe as I drove away, even though Christian was upset.
The next day, Joe showed up at work looking nice in clothes I had bought for him. I didn’t know Joe had doubts about Christian. When they met for the first time, Joe thought Christian wasn’t a nice person.
That day at work, he kept a wary eye on Christian and another friend, Lily. The fact that they looked too close and friendly bothered him.
He saw them later, Lily leaving Christian’s office with a package. He became careful. Joe thought that the big bag probably had money in it.
In order to find out more, Joe sneaked into Christian’s office. But Christian caught him and threw him out right away.
When I got there, I asked, “What’s going on here?”“
Christian said that Joe had stolen something. Joe said it wasn’t true, which made it sound like Christian and Lily might be having a problem.
My gut told me what to do. “I need to look through your desk,” I told him.
While I was looking, I found a silk box with a ring inside. Christian yelled, “That was for you!”“I had something planned for you, but Joe ruined it!“
Whatever had happened was too much for me to handle. After telling Joe to leave, I told Christian that I needed some alone time. After this, Joe said something that made me cry.
Joe came up to Christian in the parking lot. “You have something to hide. “Christian, the truth will come out,” he told him.
With a laugh, Christian brushed it off. “You don’t have any proof, shithead.” Don’t get involved!“
He broke into Christian’s office twice and got a stack of papers. Joe came out with them. “Christian, these papers take it from here!”he said.
Christian made a face. “The true proof is safe and sound on my external hard drive.” “I’ll hide it at home,” he yelled.
Joe asked, “Really?” What’s not here but in there?“
Christian laughed and said, “As if I’m going to tell you.” “Most of it is…some creative accounting.” “You wouldn’t get it.”
Behind a pillar, I was recording and listening to the talk at the same time.
It’s time to face the truth. As I joined Joe, I yelled, “Christian, your lie ends here!” Give me the hard drive!“
When the cops and security showed up, they found that Christian and Lily had stolen money.
I told Joe, “I’m so sorry I didn’t believe you earlier.”
Joe said to me, “Nancy, it’s okay.” You’ve been nicer to me than my own family.
I thanked him for being loyal as I hugged him and learned how important second chances and real bonds are.
Joe was more than just an old lover; he was a kind friend who looked out for me. I was sure that our friendship would last forever. People from our past can sometimes be the most honest friends we can have.
Paige did not get comfort from a former friend, while I was lucky to do so. Her folks were awful to her; her story is coming up next.
5. Mr. and Mrs. Watson: We felt bad that we left our pregnant daughter out in the cold.
I will always remember the day our daughter Paige told us she was going to have a baby. That made me very angry and upset. Justin, the baby’s dad, didn’t seem like he could help her much, and she was only eighteen.
In my panic, I even told her she might want to think about having an abortion. Even though we told her not to, Paige stuck with Justin anyway. I was very angry and told her to leave our house. I had no idea she would leave.
I felt bad about what I said every day for years to come. Our family broke up, and we started losing money too. We paid a high price for my pride.
After that, I was having a serious conversation with a possible law consultant at a restaurant one day.
Paige worked for the company. She didn’t look at all like the girl I had seen years before; she looked sure of herself and capable.
“Did you think I wouldn’t come if the email had your name on it?”“What?” Paige asked.
“I… I hoped you would,” I said with my eyes down.
Again, I felt embarrassed and said, “Sorry, Paige.” We’re sorry for what we did. Please help us.
In a rude voice, she replied, “Yeah, I saw that.” Then what’s wrong this time?“
I told her about the terrible accident that happened because of my spouse’s mistake. “Paige, your mum needs help.” We’ve lost everything. She drove while drunk, and now three lives are lost.
Paige paid close attention. “Paige, you need to help us.” I told them, “We can’t pay your fees.”
She said in a whisper, “It’s okay, Dad.” “I don’t need your money,” she said after taking our money and paying for our food. “Let me see what I can do.”
Paige talked to the victims’ families from home and convinced them to settle out of court instead of going to court for a long time. When the judge in court told us that the deal had been reached, I felt a wave of relief.
After the hearing, my husband and I went outside to meet Paige, Justin, and Julia, their young daughter.
His wife asked him, “What’s your name, honey?”“
“Hi, my name is Julia!””She exclaimed in a happy way.”
My wife said, “You have a lovely name, Julia!” to try to get in touch with our niece. Would you like to come see us sometime?” and a daughter.
“Maybe later,” Paige said. “We have plans tonight.”
“That’s fine!” my wife said.”Paige, she looks just like you.”
Paige replied, “Well, she seems to be more like her dad,” which confirmed what we already thought. “Let’s go now.” “Goodbye.”
I was happy for them and sad to see them go. Paige had become a responsible adult who thought about other people.
We wouldn’t have asked Paige to leave the house that day if her first kid had been alive. I found out about this after the fact. She did have a loss with her first child. That night she left our house, it was very cold, and all she had on was a thin robe.
She was hurt when she got to Justin’s house, and she passed out at the door. They were going through a hard time after losing their first child, but Justin was always there for my daughter. I was so wrong about him.
I cried alone for a long time that day because I felt bad about what I had done. Hi Paige, I’m really sorry.
If I could go back in time, I would honour her love, trust her judgement, and accept the choices she made. But since time only moves forward, I have to hold on to the hope that Paige will forgive us and let us into both Julia’s and her life one day.
You see, everyone goes through hard times, but if they have a little understanding and hope, they can also find hope and a new start, just like the people in those stories.
