Robert entered the Marine Corps straight out of high school and served three years at Camp Pendleton. Things didn’t go so well for him. He had started doing drugs when he was just 11 years old. When he joined the Marines, he brought his problems with him— and he was discharged with them.
He spent his twenties in and out of prison. In between, he slept on friends’ couches, in their cars, in a neighbor’s RV. He couldn’t keep a steady job for long.
Four years ago, Robert got out of prison one last time and began a time on probation. Unfortunately poverty over took him as he eventually was living in his car until he was thrown a lifeline: an opportunity to come to the Village of Hope and get the help he needed.
Robert just graduated from training to be a machinist and has a new, rewarding career.
Best of all, he’s grateful for his renewed relationship with God. Now a member of the church at the Mission, Robert has also found a way to use his military experience to give back to the community. He reaches out with us to other veterans who are homeless. “Being out there talking to other veterans that are homeless, it helps that I’ve been where they were and I can understand them,” says Robert. “I know what it’s like to have pride and yet be hungry and out on the streets. It helps to earn their trust, and to get them the help they need so that they can turn their life around for good.”