I am 35 years old and have 3 children. My son is 17 and I have 12 and 8 year old daughters. I had my first child at the age of 17 and had to drop out of high school to care for my son. My mother abandoned us for 10 years due to drug use. I was terrified of my mother's situation, but then I became a drug user and a gang member due to not having a caring mother. I lost my father at 15 years old, and my children's father is in prison. I tried to support my family and make it on my own, but I made a lot of wrong decisions. I got shot 8 times on New Year's Eve in December, 2003 at age 30. Finally I realized that I could not do it on my own. In August, 2008, I entered into a transitional housing program in South Los Angeles with my children, and we were referred to Beyond Shelter's Housing First Program for help getting back into permanent housing. I moved into my permanent housing on November 11, 2010. That was the best thing that happened in my life. My children and I are grateful to Beyond Shelter for the opportunity they have provided for us to have a safe and warm place of our own. I will always be grateful to Beyond Shelter for their help at such a critical time of my life.