Feinix’s LifeChange Story

Off the Street and Onto New Life!

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.

No One Wants to Be Homeless

“I did not choose to be on the streets,” she says. “Something happened, and I had no place to go.” With no idea how to survive and no one to turn to for help, Feinix was on her own. “I was completely out of my element. I worried, ‘How am I going to eat? Where am I going to sleep? It’s terrifying — and I’m putting it mildly — to be homeless.’”

Not Looking for a Handout

For over a year, Feinix was on the streets. Afraid of panhandling, the only way she survived was by collecting bottles and cans and cashing them in to buy food. “Some days, it was just not possible to actually have a meal.”

Thankfully, Feinix discovered the Union Gospel Mission.

A New Path

“I was accepted into the LifeChange program after I met with the intake team. That was in June of 2023,” she says. “That’s when things started to turn around . . . While I’ve been here, I’ve had intense therapy. That’s been a huge help . . . I’m not the same person that I was when I walked through the doors . . . It’s been a blessing in so many ways.” Feinix graduated from LifeChange in August.

A Whole New Life

“The day before graduation happened to be my birthday, and I have to say it was probably the best birthday ever,” she says. Within a month of graduating, Feinix started working full-time as a caregiver. She’s saving money to move into a new place, and knows her new life wouldn’t have been possible without partners like you.

“I’m very grateful to anyone who’s willing to donate their time, money and energy. It’s super amazing, the generosity, and it’s very much needed . . . Now I understand that life can be good.”