But in the midst of that life-dominating crisis, God remembered her. Out of the blue, “A lady contacted me,” she says, shaking her head. “I told her I wasn’t doing well.” Then Chelsey smiles. “And she told me about The Haven . . .”

“I was never homeless”—not sleeping on the streets at least, Nerissa remembers. But after losing her husband, and with no place of her own as a refuge, “I was definitely in dangerous situations,” she says.

Many people would say that Michael didn’t stand much of a chance—of having a life . . . or of staying alive for long. But unlike so many who find themselves trapped on the mean streets surrounded by violence, death, and drugs, Michael knew there must be an escape.

Your help is making a life-changing difference! After years of rebellion and recklessness, and filled with regret, Linda called her grieving parents. “On Thanksgiving,” she says, tears welling up in her eyes…