After moving from a small town to the big city, Christopher began using drugs at the age of 17. He started drinking and having parties, until one day his mother caught him using meth in their home. Instead of Christopher being punished, his mother instead asked to partake with him. “Doing drugs became a family thing, it’s just something we did,” he said. Now it was acceptable for him to do drugs at home and drop out of school at the age of 17.

After a few years of drug use, he found himself in prison. During his time spent incarcerated his son was born, a son that he has yet to meet to this day. “I talk to him on facetime every now and then, and all he wants is his dad in his life. He knows that I am fighting an addiction. He knows that I love him,” explains Christopher. After his time in prison, Christopher could not afford rent, so he decided to live in a tent.

His days were spent worrying about how he was going to eat that day. He had no place to shower or ways to stay clean. “I would sneak into people’s yards to use their water hose to wash off. It was miserable out there,” he said. When all hope was lost, The Search + Rescue team arrived with food and hygiene supplies which were exactly the items that he needed. This was the first interaction with UGM that Chris would have, but not the last.

In the winter of 2022, Chris’s father came to visit him for the first time in 20 years. When he arrived, he was intoxicated. His father told him “I don’t want to die not knowing my kids,” Chris responded with a request. If he got into rehab, he would give him a chance. Later that evening his father passed away in a snowstorm. “I blamed myself for the death of my father,” he said. After his father passed Christopher began to spiral and became suicidal. “One day I took a bunch of blood pressure medication, and decided I didn’t want to live anymore,” he said. After recovering from his overdose, the Mission accepted him into their care.

When Christopher arrived at UGM he felt overwhelmingly accepted by the men in the program, something he had never felt before. He no longer lives in fear, worrying about what he’s going to eat, or where he’s going to sleep. He finally feels like he can focus on his recovery. He has hope for his future. He looks forward to the day when he can meet his son for the first time.    

Christopher says being at the mission has changed the way he thinks about God. “The evidence that there is a God and how he affects the lives of those around me. It’s amazing how God works, there’s no other explanation.” Now Christopher serves on the Search + Rescue team, influencing the lives of many others as the Mission once did for him. Chris says “This place is a godsend… it saved my life, there is no other way to say that.”

If you know of someone battling addiction or homelessness and they have had enough and are interested in a LifeChange, then contact our Intake Coordinator at mensintake@ugmportland.org or 503-274-4483.