James

James lost everything: his business, his marriage and his home. Although he received disability, it wasn’t enough to support himself, so he lived in his car until friends told him about The Union Mission. “I didn’t want to spend another winter in my car. I had to do something. I was angry and bitter because I had fame and fortune. It was a shock having to live in a shelter, but I am grateful for The Union Mission.”

Today, he is working towards independence and has applied for several school grants. “I don’t like to be idle, so I recycle things, turning trash into art.” When he saw a fabricated model of the future Men’s Shelter he created one from cardboard and other things he found. His talent is evident. He wants to teach others who can’t work how to make things to support themselves; maybe something they can sell on the Internet.

James accepted the Lord as a young man but admits, “I am in and out of a backsliding state, but God has always been there for me. He has made me stronger. I had a warped idea of what homelessness was and now I realize it can happen to anyone.”