The state of today’s economy can affect anyone—like Devin and his mom, who found themselves on the streets of York, with no one else to count on except friends like you at LifePath . . .
Devin remembers how he felt moving to York with his mom when he was just 13 years old. It was hard “trying to get a grasp on the whole new situation and area,” he says. “Starting from scratch with school, trying to take everything in, one step at a time, and go from there.”
But in recent years, they’ve found themselves vulnerable once again, as rents continue to climb to historic heights in York County—and pandemic-era rental relief comes to an end, forcing Devin and his mom from their home in a matter of days.
Devin can still hardly believe how fast their landlord acted: “He just said, ‘Get out by Monday,’” Devin recalls, and they’ll never forget how it felt to be evicted onto the streets of York.
But God opened the door to them here at
LifePath Christian Ministries—York’s rescue
mission—just in time . . .
“My Mom’s at the women’s shelter,” Devin sighs, relieved she was safe and well cared for. “And just me here,” he says. “Being quiet, watching to see what’s what because when I first got here, I had anxiety. Then, slowly but surely, I kind of got used to the environment.”
And like young people everywhere, “I got to meet some new friends,” he smiles. “And most of the staff. I came out of my shell after I got to know them, and I started in on tasks”—helping make this a safe place for others in desperate need.
That’s more important than ever, as LifePath sees a significant surge in the numbers coming with nowhere left to go, and nobody else to care.
Devin is grateful, saying the best thing about LifePath “is the helpfulness, and the willingness to accept people’s faults, trying to help them so they know they can do better: try to get ahead, and be on a better path than they are now!”
Thanks for your part in helping make that possible, changing lives like Devin’s—for good!
“WE’RE BLESSED—
We do it for somebody else, and the blessings that come out of that!”—Deborah
After a lifetime of caring, Deborah found herself looking for someone to care for her—and found it with this LifePath family of friends!
“All my life, I raised three children on my end,” Deborah recalls. “Paid heavy top-dollar rents.” But in this market, in these post-COVID days, having a roof over your head is never guaranteed.
“I just turned 60. I said, ‘I’m not going to be a burden,’ and she found “a nice little apartment. I loved it. I made good meals. I was happy where I was.
“I lived there four years, but I had to leave because it became unhealthy and unsafe,” she says, after “a sewage breakage that happened four times in one year—it was horrifying.”
The landlord was finally fined, the property condemned . . . leaving Deborah homeless. “I had nobody. Nowhere to go.”
But it was out there that Deborah heard about LifePath. “Through word of mouth, neighbors on the street,” she marvels. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have known!”
“I called LifePath Women’s Ministry Shelter, and
they welcomed me in. I had three meals and a
roof over my head!
“And with that,” Deborah says. “I had Bible study every Tuesday night, which is like a whole burden lifted off your shoulders.”
And she says she’d tell anybody who asks, “the food?” Very good. The place is clean. Staff members are sweet and nice—it’s a nice organization to be with.”
Still, “I never went to a shelter before,” she confesses. “I never had to do so.” But, “thank God, they were there for me: It was either that or the streets.”
Yet looking back at what she was forced to leave behind, she’s grateful for where she ended up. “That was my home, but at the shelter, they make it so it is your home!”
“I’m appreciative—so thankful and so
humbled by this whole experience.”
And as she makes plans for a positive, independent future, drawing on the strength she’s been shown at LifePath, she says, “It’s very much appreciated. It helps women. It furthers them to go forward, and it’s a help to them.
“It’s showing love and kindness,” she adds, joining partners like you sharing that love with others: “We’re blessed—we do it for somebody else, and the blessings that come out of that!”
