After meeting a man, believing she was in love, getting engaged within eight months, moving over 2,500 miles away from her family and getting pregnant after three months of marriage, Allison felt happy but overwhelmed. She had a full-time career, a baby and a home to take care of. Three years later she was expecting her second child. All without family nearby to support her.

There are a lot of stereotypes about what homelessness looks like. Feinix broke almost every one of them. “I wasn’t high. I wasn’t drunk. I wasn’t dirty. I wasn’t wearing torn, greasy, dirty, ripped up clothes . . . I really tried to be as inconspicuous as possible.  I tried to blend in, be quiet, like I was somebody who had a regular life.”  But her life was anything but “regular,” and it was a far cry from the life she once had with a house, a job and plenty of food to eat.

We are pleased to introduce you to the new Director of LifeChange for Women and Children, Reiko Cordeiro. Reiko is a licensed professional counselor in the state of Oregon and has served as the Counseling Director at Union Gospel Mission since 2021.

Chelise always wanted her kids to have a better childhood than she did. “I grew up in an alcoholic family, surrounded by domestic violence,” Chelise says. “I left home at 14.” Chelise was forced into prostitution by gang members she met on the streets.