From Homeless to Hopeful to a Home of Their Own

We love welcoming precious children to Home of Hope. We hear so many of their stories, but to protect their privacy, we don’t share all of them. Joey’s story is composed of and inspired by the many amazing kids we get to meet at Home of Hope!

Joey gripped his mom’s finger as they walked through the door.

His little brother was perched on her hip. Joey looked up and made a face, just trying to make sure his brother knew he definitely wasn’t scared!

Mom told him this morning that they would be staying somewhere new tonight. Moving around had become their normal routine since that one night in their old apartment.

She’d explained they would have to leave. She kept saying over and over that she was sorry, and Joey didn’t understand why.

But she kept smiling a lot, even when Joey could tell she didn’t feel like smiling.

After that, they slept on so many different couches that Joey lost count. One night they slept in their car in a parking lot. Mom tried even harder to smile that night.

Now, Mom said, things would be different. She would be different. 

Joey read the sign as they drove onto campus. It said: Home of Hope.

Before they went to sleep that night, Mom didn’t say she was sorry that he didn’t have a bed of his own.

Over the next few weeks, her smile came a little easier — and so did Joey’s. Each week, while she went to class, Joey and his little brother got to play with new friends. 

One man came every week to Kids Club, and they’d play baseball and basketball. They threw frisbees and footballs. The man knew his name, and he’d say, “Hey, Joey! What are we playing today?”

At Home of Hope, Mom got her real smile back. She got a new job, and she started looking for a new home, one that would be even better than their apartment.

When she finally found it, Joey was excited, but he felt a little sad. Every week, he and his new friend played catch, and he was learning how to pitch and swing a baseball bat. 

But Mom said they were going to a home of their own. She promised she’d find a real team where he could actually play. 

Just like they walked into Home of Hope, they walked out. Little brother on Mom’s hip, and Joey holding her hand. This time, though, Mom didn’t seem so sad, and Joey really wasn’t scared. 

Later that week, Joey had his first-ever Little League game, and he was playing left field. When he stepped onto the field, he looked around for Mom.

What he saw was Mom and his friend from Home of Hope. Mom was cheering, and so was his friend.

And she was really, really smiling.