Sometimes, the best way to move forward is to leave it all behind. This isn’t news to Rolland, because it perfectly describes the past year of his life.

Rolland is from the Dunseith-Belcourt area of North Dakota. It was not an easy place to grow up, and Rolland has few fond memories of his time there. He describes a life surrounded by drugs, crime, and dysfunction. From the age of 15, Rolland was essentially on his own, though he learned to fend for himself long before that.

Rolland made his own rules, and he fell into many of the same self-destructive behaviors he had observed since he was a child. At 17 years old, Rolland was sent to juvenile detention for a year. At 18, he had his first child. This whole time, and for many years after, he was using drugs and hanging around people who were going nowhere.

Last Christmas marked a turning point for Rolland. He took stock of his life and realized how exhausted he was by the drugs, crime, and self-sabotage that had consumed him and the people around him. He desperately wanted to escape the only home he had ever known and all the pain that came with it.

Rolland packed his things and traveled to Grand Forks, where he lived with his son for a few months. After his son’s mother (Rolland’s ex-partner) moved in too, the situation became volatile. His son asked them both to leave. This was in February, when temperatures might approach freezing on a good day.

Rolland was homeless for the first time in his life. He tried to tough it outside, but after a week he relented and came to the Mission. One month later, Rolland left and went to Center, where he completed a drug treatment program. Then, he decided to try his luck on the streets again.

“I had a backpack full of blankets, and [I would sleep] wherever,” says Rolland.

This time, however, Rolland was thinking about what more he might be able to achieve for himself. While at the Mission, Rolland had learned about housing resources, and he saw other clients getting ready to move out. Now sober and thinking clearly, Rolland dared to hope that he could find a home too.

Rolland regularly stopped by the Mission for meals, and each time he would meet with the advocacy team to talk about his goals and work toward housing. Slowly but surely, he completed the necessary steps, providing information and getting his paperwork done on time.

“Fayme is the one who gave me the most help,” says Rolland. “She made calls, she talked when I couldn’t, and she was the one I talked to whenever I needed help.”

It wasn’t long before Rolland was approved for his own apartment. He has now lived there for four months. New feelings of peace and safety have come with it.

“I would still be out there on the streets if it wasn’t for Fayme,” says Rolland. “But everything came into place. Now I have a smile on my face every day, and I am just living.”

Rolland spends much of his free time biking around Grand Forks and the surrounding area (a place he “fell in love with”), often in the early morning hours when he can soak up the peaceful ambience and fresh air.

Rolland has no desire to return to his old life, though he does have one piece of unfinished business in his old town. Rolland’s daughter still lives there, and he’d like to convince her to move to Grand Forks. Rolland proved that he could start anew, and he believes she can too.

Thank you for giving Rolland his new beginning. When he saw the opportunity that generous folks like you had provided, his thinking shifted. Now, Rolland is only looking forward, and each day comes with dignity.‍‍