Michelle and her daughter with SVdP Vincentian Cindi.

Michelle is safe and living with her daughter. Michelle, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, studies for IT classes and her daughter plays with PAW Patrol toys. But it wasn’t always this way.

Michelle was homeless, in the throes of addiction, but she says the support she received from St. Vincent de Paul of Contra Costa County helped her turn her life around. For Michelle, SVdP is the lifeline that kept her family together.

“I was homeless on the streets of Rodeo,” Michelle said. “The volunteers at SVdP gave me the motivation to change.”

Michelle lived on the streets for 8 years. During that time, she dealt with tragedy, and the loss of children. She said her addiction made her lose the trust of friends and family and left her alone.

She said, “I panhandled, I was an addict. I slept rough. It was dangerous.”

Michelle said she was an intravenous meth user, and her addiction controlled her life. She said. “I’m blessed I found the volunteers at SVdP . They never gave up on me. With love, hope, and a little faith, they helped me change my life.”

SVdP was a necessary lifeline for her. The distributions by the SVdP team at St. Patrick’s church helped her feel seen and loved.

“I’m blessed, not everyone can meet a group of strangers that love and care about them like I found in SVdP,” Michelle said. “They’re my friends and their support helped me go from having no hope to providing for my child.”