Charles is so close to home. He just needs a little bit more time. He’s waiting on his birth certificate and housing approval, neither of which are far away. Then he’ll have his keys in hand.

I know you believe that everyone deserves the chance to have a home. That’s why I’m asking you today: will you give Charles a couple more nights in the shelter? Just $25 ensure he'll have a bed for 2 more days.

I’d like to share a bit of his story with you. It hasn’t been an easy life, and in some ways, it’s a miracle that he is where he’s at today.

There was a time in Charles’s life when he owned a nice two-story house in Colorado. It had hardwood floors, a driveway that fit six cars, and a large backyard with a grapevine and patio table that sat eight. At the time, Charles made $120,000 a year as the sales director for a hotel chain.

If you knew Charles growing up in small-town, North Dakota, you might be shocked to learn what a successful life he’d built for himself. This was the same kid who was bullied relentlessly at school, starting in the first grade. He was the same kid who was mentally and physically abused at home, where he’d step in front of his younger siblings and take the beatings so they didn’t have to. He was the same kid who had tried to take his own life before he turned fifteen years old.

“Being called names and being pushed around and beat up, that messes with you, definitely,” says Charles. “Especially as a young child. I got very adapted to a painful life.”

Somehow, Charles persevered through a childhood where he never left survival mode. He went to college, moved to Colorado, and worked his way up. He built something great for himself.

Then it all blew up. The drugs started as a party habit. They became a way to mask the ever present pain. Then they became a life-shattering addiction.

It took three trips to rehab for Charles to finally get clean. By that time, he had lost his home, his job, his friends, everything.

Once you’ve blown your life up, trying to rebuild it can feel like running on a hamster wheel. “Progress” might look like finding the next meal or a safe place to sleep. But the next morning, you’re back where you started.

It’s been 19 years since Charles has touched a hard drug. Still, for most of that time, he’s been back in survival mode. There are times he’s slept on the streets, times he’s struggled with alcohol, better times with friends and family, and worse times where his health has failed him.

Charles was diagnosed with a neurological disorder similar to Parkinson’s. He has trouble walking, balancing, and eating. The condition affects his memory and his perception.

The outdoors is no place for Charles. That’s why I’m grateful that someone like you has given him a chance at the Mission. He’s not wasting it.

With help from Elaina, our social worker, Charles has filled out a housing application and applied for a new birth certificate. He’s gone to look at apartments and assisted living facilities. He’s found support for some of his physical challenges (he’s very excited for his new dentures).

“I think this place is, to be quite honest, a blessing,” says Charles. “It’s an option for people that are in an unforgiving situation, and you have forgiveness here: from the weather, from starvation...Where I could be and where I’m at are two night-and-day situations.”

Charles is staying positive, but it’s time for him to be home. You can make that happen.

Just $25 ensures Charles has a bed for 2 more days. $90 will get him a week closer to home. If those amounts don’t work for you, that’s okay. Every dollar, every meal, every hour of support gets Charles a step closer to home. Give here.

“I’d like to stay as healthy as I can,” Charles says of his goals for the future. “I’d like to be financially stable. I’d like a place to call home.”

God Bless,

Elaina Wickman
Interim Director
Northlands Rescue Mission


Will you donate today to give Charles a path home?‍‍