Aaron found himself homeless after he lost his job. A Journeyman Ironworker and veteran, he fell back on paying his dues and without a job, was forced to move into a local shelter.

Betty’s battle with alcohol started when she moved from Little Rock to St. Louis at age 20. She got into conflicts, became depressed, and eventually became homeless.

As a teenager, Brittany Campbell was down, hopeless and doing things she shouldn’t be doing.

The child of an alcoholic mother, Cedric Winthrope battled alcohol abuse since youth. He cared for his mother until her death, but family problems afterward led to his homelessness.

Charlene Washington had reached a breaking point in her life. She was an alcoholic, a drug addict and a prostitute.

Things went from bad to worse for Charlene… after losing her job, her home and her vehicle, she found herself homeless.

“It’s a jungle out there”, according to Christopher Webb, and perhaps that’s why he’s most identifiable by his official safari hat.

David’s hard partying ways and mental illness led him to a path of chronic homelessness.

At 55 years-old, Deborah has experienced many traumas in her life including domestic abuse, an addiction to crack and marijuana and homelessness.

Because of severe health issues, Delores lost her home and as a result, became homeless. Sleeping in her car and not knowing where to turn, a friend referred her to St. Patrick Center.

Denisha has been on her own since she was 13. She had her first apartment at 15, but was misguided and confused by a series of situations and people, and found herself homeless.

For DeShalle, homelessness came at an early age, brought on by addiction to drugs and alcohol in her teens.

Edward Chew says he was once a walking drug store, using every kind of drug he could, including marijuana and crack cocaine.

Edward Johnson says drinking was once the main thing on his list, and his life got out of control.

When Eric Shaw was younger, he witnessed his family falling apart. His mother passed away, as well as one of his sisters.

Frank McDowell says life on the streets is no fun at all, and he would know. He was homeless, staying in shelters and unsure where his next meal would come from.

Geraldine Drake had an excellent life and a nice career, but she lost it all to drugs and alcohol in the streets.

Harold had hit a rough patch in his life. As a self-employed general contractor, his business struggled and forced him in and out of homelessness.

Hosia never thought it would happen to him. His downward spiral began when his severe anger management issues and addiction to drugs took over his life.

Jacques used to live the “easy life.” He lived with his girlfriend, didn’t work and got comfortable not working… then he found drugs and alcohol.

Jamall has always struggled to find a place to call home. A diagnosis of schizophrenia and refusal of medication caused strife between him and his family. Jamall ended up homeless and sleeping on the streets.

Javonna remembers the days after her mother died when she would walk the streets in her drug addiction, with nowhere to go. This young mother of ten children, including three sets of twins, has been to treatment...

After retiring from the military with a disability, Jeffrey had trouble adjusting to civilian life. He became addicted to alcohol and drugs, and lost everything, including his inheritance.

When we introduced you to Joe Koski, he was getting settled into an apartment after being homeless for most of his life.

For John Hicks, drug use came later in life. He was in his 30’s, became depressed with his family situation and started hanging out with the wrong crowd. Before long, John was homeless.

Karl was a victim of the 2009 recession. “I lost my job and tried various avenues to find work,” he says. “I was running out of resources.”

For Kerwin, the battle with drugs and alcohol began early. His substance abuse led to dealing, which led to 10 years in prison, from the age of 17.

Kitrell Fields never imagined living where he is today. After serving his country in the Armed Forces and returning home, Kitrell developed an addiction to crack and alcohol.

Larry, an alcoholic since his military days, left the steel business as he was nearing retirement age. He says the combination of free time and excess drinking lead to his homelessness.

Lois Mueller became homeless when a 17-year relationship ended. At the age of 47, she didn't want to go home to Mom and Dad, so she chose the streets.

Lorenzo’s drinking and drug use started in the military, and his addictions followed him into a civilian life he refers to as a nightmare.

Marshelle has come a long way to graduate from St. Patrick Center’s Independent Living Skills program. By the age of 20, she was living in poverty and on the streets.

Mary Fitz had an alcohol problem. “I was drinking every day and didn’t know any other way to live,” she recalls. Mary was living in a condemned building with no lights, water or heat.

Patti Cook’s issues with alcohol, losing a job and health problems led to her homelessness. She says living on the streets and in shelters was a way of surviving, but a dangerous one for women.

Rhonda came to St. Patrick Center homeless and in poor health due to chronic stress. She was looking for housing, but found so much more.

Roland Bob Harris will never forget Katrina. He’s not your typical homeless story, just like Katrina was not your typical hurricane.

A veteran of the U.S. Army, Ronald was homeless and dealing with a number of mental health issues and an addiction to drugs and alcohol when he came to St. Patrick Center for help.

Rosalyn became homeless in Atlanta before moving back to St. Louis, her birthplace and home of her two children, to get a fresh start...

Sasha lost custody of her 3 children due to her battle with addiction. When she decided that she was ready to change her life at the start of 2009 and regain custody of her children, ages eight, five and two, she came...

For Shanette, challenges came early in life when she was diagnosed with a mental illness before the age of 20.

Sonja is a recovering addict, and today she knows how her addiction led her down the wrong path. She lost custody of her two daughters; she was homeless and living in transitional recovery housing.

Steven recalls a good childhood growing up in St. Louis. He graduated from Soldan High School, but it was there that he was first introduced to drugs.

Tairon struggled to hold his life together. Drug and alcohol abuse left him jobless and uncertain living conditions forced him to bounce between living with his girlfriend and with his mother and grandmother.

Tim Rush always envisioned more for his life than the way it turned out. Using drugs and dealing them landed him in prison on more than one occasion.

Toni Jordan developed a crack cocaine habit that took her and her children down many avenues.

Tremayne was homeless for seven years after losing his construction job and his home.

Wanda dealt with physical and mental health issues that took her to the point of a nervous breakdown. She ended up homeless and living in shelters...

If it breaks, William Terrell fixes it. That’s his job at Kitchen K restaurant in downtown St. Louis. But that’s also the story of his life.