Christian spent 7 hard months on the streets of Portland. Worn out from the summer heat and carrying his few belongings on his back, he’d often end the day sleeping on the rocky ground – afraid. “You have to worry about somebody robbing you or beating you in the middle of the night,” says Christian. “And there’s rats crawling across you while you’re sleeping. It’s just horrible.”

As a kid, Christian would see hungry people lined up outside our Burnside Shelter. “Thank goodness I’ll never be like that,” he’d think. But Christian’s parents were extremely abusive. His home life was filled with alcohol, anger, and violence. By the time he was 13, Christian started his own slide into addiction.

Donate to give hope and restore life to more men like Christian suffering from homelessness and addiction: http://www.PortlandRescueMission.org/ChristianStory.