Michelle Finds Refuge from the Dangerous Streets at Harbor Care

Michelle was born and raised in Norwalk. She and her two brothers had a rough childhood. Her father was abusive toward her, so she ran away from home when she was 14 years old. Michelle fell in with the wrong crowd and got into doing drugs. It got worse when she discovered crack cocaine at the age of 19. She had a couple of children who were born premature and addicted and hasn’t seen them since they were little.

Michelle experienced the horrors of living on the streets of Los Angeles. She was raped several times and was almost murdered. The last time this happened she was tossed in a dumpster and left for dead. “I’ve been homeless for 13 years,” says Michelle. She attributes much of her suffering to her addiction to drugs. Her recent trip to the hospital was the result of a violent confrontation she had with someone that she would get high with. The hospital staff knew Michelle needed a safe place to recover and referred her to Harbor Care.

“I love it here. I didn’t know you had N.A. meetings here. I was so excited when I found out. I have my first chip,” says Michelle. She feels safe here at Harbor Care and appreciates the kindness of the staff and her fellow residents. She especially enjoys the food. “The cooking reminds me of my mom’s cooking,” exclaims Michelle.

Michelle is tired of being homeless and is looking forward to participating in more N.A. meetings and finding a safe place to live with the hopes of never returning to the dangerous streets again.