José’s Story: Escaping Homelessness
Tumbleweed Center for Youth Development
Ginelle, a Tumbleweed homeless youth counselor, talks to José about college.
José sat in advanced placement calculus and marveled that he was only a little more than a semester away from finishing high school. He remembered how he had sometimes wondered if he would make it. Now a high school diploma was in sight, and he thought about his even greater goal of becoming a doctor! When José was 12 years old, his mother had been very sick, and José had nursed her back to health. From that time he had dreamed of studying medicine.
Mr. Davis broke Jose’s reverie, “José, here is a tough question. What do you make of it?” He gave the teacher the answer he had worked on late the night before. “Yes,” the teacher said. “That is a very good approach to solving this problem.” The slender, mild mannered student responded with a smile. He was well liked by his classmates and teachers alike. Everyone was aware that he worked harder than anybody in any class. He was younger than his classmates and studied persistently to earn all As. He had even learned English in just two months after starting school by working on his own and asking for extra help.
What Had Been Home
That evening when he got to Judy and Bill’s home, the house where he lived as a guest so he could go to school, Bill said, “José, I have something to tell you. Judy and I have talked. You’ve lived with us now for awhile but we no longer think it’s wise. Judy’s pregnant, and she really would feel more comfortable if you moved out. We think November 20 should be your last day.” José was stunned. That was just 10 days away. He knew Judy seemed upset and wasn’t acting like herself. The friendly English teacher who had wanted him to live in her home was not the same person.
When José’s move-out day arrived, Judy and Bill dropped him off at a nearby Quik Trip convenience store. He had learned at school it was one of the SafePlaces where youth can go when they are in trouble. The store staff called a teen homeless shelter.
Downside of U.S. Citizenship
José had come to Phoenix a few years before to attend high school. He was born in Arizona but left at age five when his parents were deported to Mexico. He completed grammar school there, but because he was a U.S. citizen, he didn’t qualify for a free high school education in Mexico. José decided to come to America on his own at 15, the only solution he could see to get a high school diploma.
From the time he arrived in the U.S. José was never sure where he would live next. He had stayed with a vaguely related aunt who had seven other boarders in her small house besides him and her family. That situation didn’t last. He had been overjoyed when his teacher Judy and her husband Bill welcomed him into their home. But that had ended too. He had stayed in a shelter and was placed in a foster home. And foster care stopped on his 18th birthday.
From school counselors Jose had learned about Tumbleweed Center, an agency that works with homeless teenagers and troubled young adults. He called to see if there was a room for him. All he wanted was a safe place to live for the final semester of high school.
Finding Home at Tumbleweed
José moved into a Tumbleweed apartment at the start of the semester, two days before his 18th birthday. Tumbleweed was just what he needed. He got a small apartment and began fulfilling the requirements of living there: completing a number of self-study modules on living independently, doing his share of chores—cooking, cleaning and keeping the apartment building ship-shape, holding a job, and going to high school full time.
He met regularly with Tumbleweed youth care workers. “Hey, José, how’s it going?” Ginelle who was his favorite counselor always gave sound guidance. “Let’s talk about what college is like.” And they talked.
José’s perseverance paid off. He has the chance to achieve his dream of becoming a physician. He won one of 200 national “full-ride” scholarships and will enter the University of Southern California as a freshman premed student.
Coming to Tumbleweed took a huge load from him. Tumbleweed gave him a place to live, food on the table and friendly staff to advise him on his next steps in going to college and becoming an independent adult. Jose’s story of homelessness is ending well. Yet there are many teenagers separated from family with no resources and not enough places for them to go for help.
All children in Greater Phoenix deserve a happy, healthy and safe childhood. Piper Trust invests in programs like Tumbleweed Center for Youth Development to help children in crisis find the help they need.
Editor’s Note: Jose’s story of homelessness and academic achievement is true, and Ginelle is a real Tumbleweed youth care worker. Interactions with the others in this account represent real situations but the names are changed.