Faces of ACOF


The Faces of our Community

Fernando


Fernando joined the ACOF community in 2021 and currently resides in the community of South Los Angeles. After experiencing the loss of his then former wife and losing his will to live, he regained his strength and faith and found his forever home within ACOF.
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Kevin


Kevin joined the ACOF community in 2020 and currently resides in the Sun Valley community of Los Angeles. After feeling defeated and losing faith in getting out of homelessness, he found his forever home within ACOF.
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Gloria


Gloria joined the ACOF community in 2020 and currently resides in the Sun Valley community of Los Angeles. After experiencing homelessness due to stress and depression, she found her forever home with ACOF.
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Thomas


Thomas joined the ACOF community in 2020 and currently resides in the Sun Valley community of Los Angeles. After experiencing homelessness, he found his forever home within ACOF.
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Frank


Frank joined the ACOF community in 2006 and currently resides in the Westlake community of Los Angeles. After experiencing the passing of his father and health disparities, he found himself homeless.
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Dwan


Dwan joined the ACOF community in August 2020 and currently resides in Sun Valley, CA. After experiencing a drastic fall-out with her family and domestic abuse, Dwan found herself homeless, living in a densely populated encampment.

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Margaret (Lisa)


Margaret (Lisa) joined ACOF in May 2014 and currently resides in Hollywood. Lisa moved away from her home in Hawaii, leaving behind her family and friends who up to that point, served as her support system. After moving from Hawaii, Lisa became homeless as she developed a drug addiction and mental health condition. Continue reading “Margaret (Lisa)”

Beverly


Beverly joined the ACOF community in 2006 and currently resides in the City of Los Angeles. After suffering from humiliation, fear, and hopelessness, she was able to find a home and community within ACOF. Continue reading “Beverly”

Bridgette


Bridgette is a tenant in one of ACOF’s communities in Los Angeles with her two daughters. Bridget became pregnant at an early age and in order to sustain her and her children, she had to leave her education to focus on her family. Continue reading “Bridgette”

Myron


Myron Jackson joined ACOF in 2017 and now lives in ACOF’s Silver Star Apartments, the first Zero Net Energy (ZNE) multi-family, affordable housing project in South Los Angeles which houses Veterans. Continue reading “Myron”

Angelo


Angelo Rodriguez has been a part of the ACOF community since 2016. Prior to joining ACOF, Angelo had been marginalized due to his past years of incarceration. Continue reading “Angelo”

Janeen


Janeen Berg-Johnson has been part of the ACOFcommunity since April 1999. And although she now lives a stable life living in a place that she can call home, her life prior to ACOFhas been anything but ordinary.

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John


John Freeman will be celebrating three years as a resident of the ACOF community in April of 2020. This is the longest span of adult housing that John has received.

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Diamante


Diamante Johnson has been part of the ACOF community since October 2018. Diamante proves that being born in jail does not prevent anyone from becoming an outstanding member of society.

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Changing the Trajectory


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By Jasmine Roman — Throughout my life, I have always been in motion – from place to place, from apartment to apartment, from shelter to shelter, to finally a decent home where I currently live. In order for me to survive, I had to get used to letting go of the past and adapting to the “now.”

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Demeiia


Demelia

Demeiia left her suburban Chicago hometown of Evanston, IL for Los Angeles at 23 because she needed to change her life. Her story weaves through many pockets of our sprawling city – from Eagle Rock to North Hollywood to South Los Angeles and finally, The Jungle*  – where she knew she would die.

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Caroline Havens



Caroline Havens was born in Nebraska and moved to the Los Angeles area many years ago. In July 1997, Ms. Havens became homeless when she lost her job due to an illness. She tried applying for unemployment, but was rejected because of her health issue. Unable to work a full day, she tried to apply for General Relief but was informed that she had to apply for unemployment.

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Daniel Rivera


DanielRivera
Daniel Rivera left home when he was 18 and has been in and out of homelessness his entire life, spending time in Los Angeles, Miami and Orlando. Looking back, Mr. Rivera realized that his symptoms of mental illness first surfaced in high school and continued into college. He was depressed, developed social anxiety and was withdrawn.

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Eddie Wormley


EddieWormley
Eddie Wormley, a lifelong Angeleno, was raised in West Los Angeles by a single mother who was an alcoholic. He became involved with drugs and the “street life” early – use of marijuana easily escalated into abuse of other drugs. In and out of juvenile hall, he eventually joined the Marines but continued his addiction.

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John Chavis


JohnChavis
As a child, John Chavis was subject to emotional and physical abuse by his family. This abuse paved the way for a life filled with depression and low self-esteem. The two things that kept him going were a love of writing and a love of art. It was his love of art that provided relief through his troubling road to recovery.

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