Hope House Stories

 

He taught me to be a man
Jerry Ball

I came to Hope House Transitional Shelter for Homeless Men (HTSM) in 1972. I was an ex-offender with a 30 year sentence. After serving eight year I was released. I became an alcoholic and stayed like that for eleven years. My mother called Dr. Scott and asked him to come and pray for me. She had heard about Dr. Scott because my brother, Jeff Ball had come to Dr. Scott and had his life completely turned around. My brother was one the worst guys in the community. He was on drugs and alcohol and was dangerous. He stayed with Dr. Scott for four years and is now a successful full time pastor. Dr. Scott came and prayed with me and I gave my life to God. After that night I never took another drink. I have been sober for twenty years. I own my own mattress business now. I am married and have four children: two boys and two girls. He taught me to be a man. I owe my life to him. He has carried this burden over her for years without complaining. Words can’t express how I feel about him.

I have a game plan now
OJ Moore

I am originally from the Southside of Chicago but have been hanging out on the Westside for a number of years. I came from a good family but I have made some bad choices. For seven to eight years I had been living on the street and in various shelters, moving from one place to another. I abused crack cocaine and alcohol and could not keep a job. Every cent I made went to drugs, so I just lived by panhandling and hustling the streets. One year I was sleeping in a van, going in and out of treatment. Finally, I decided I didn’t want to be homeless anymore.

Since July of 1992, I have been clean and had only one relapse. I came to HTSM in February of 1993. I sang in church. Dr. Scott asked me to stay with him for thirty days, which I did. I became a product of his ministry. He has helped me pull my life together. While living at the shelter I started a street vending business with a couple of guys called J&J Enterprises to sell peanuts. I now sing in the church choir and got married in the church. I am starting some small business ventures on my own. I have got a game plan now. Dr. Scott has a difficult ministry. He works with many people on fixed incomes, people who steal from him and sometimes takes advantage of his generosity, but he keeps reaching out to them. I am so grateful to Dr. Scott and HTSM for their support to me.

They inspired me to change my life
Arthur Robinson

I am originally from the Westside of Chicago. From 1985 to 1990 I lived on the Southside of Chicago. In 1988 I started smoking cocaine with a friend of mine. I had a job, an apartment and a car. I started doing drugs so heavy that I quit paying my bills and lost my apartment. Because I was buying drugs on credit from a guy at work and couldn’t pay him, I just left my job. I used to work a lot of overtime – sometimes ten to twenty hours a week, only to throw it away on drugs. It was powerful. One morning I packed a small bag and went to Grant Park. I stayed for three months on the street until about August of 1990. I met a guy who was passing out tracts and he sent me to a Mission where I worked as a cook. At the recommendation of a friend I came to HTSM. Dr. Scott’s mentoring and teaching me about God and the bible inspired me to change my life. My dad left when I was three, but Dr. Scott, he is like a father to me. I have been off drugs since 1992.

Today I have found peace
Michael Henderson

I was born on the Westside of Chicago and lived here all of my life. I started drinking when I was thirteen years old and continued. It just got worst. I had to have a drink when I got up in the morning just to feel normal and it was the last thing I did before bed. In order to buy alcohol, I started stealing. Eventually my family couldn’t put up with me and I ended up on the street. I slept in Garfield Park in the summer and when it got cold, wherever I could find heat. I ended up in trouble and spent several months in jail.

One night while eating at HTSM, Dr. Scott made an open invitation to anyone who wanted to change their life. He invited us to stay and talk. Eight of us stayed and he told us to room with him at the shelter for a while. He met with us daily and taught us about God and the bible. I became a believer in Jesus Christ. Today I have found peace. I still fall occasionally for a drink, but I am not a slave to it anymore. With Dr. Scott and HTSM’s help I know I will remain sober. Dr. Scott is a mentor to me and I cannot come up with words to say what he means to me. I am hoping the future will get brighter for me. I’d like to find a steady job and I definitely don’t plan to leave HTSM – it’s where I have found peace.