James’s Story

James Owens has received the 2025 Client Achievement Award because of all of the monumental progress that he has made since entering our program. James and his children were accepted into our Permanent Supportive Housing program in April 2024. Prior to entering our program, James had been homeless for 5 years and was living in his car. Due to his living situation, he lost custody of his children. Shortly after completing his tenant briefing, James moved into a 1-bedroom unit and was reunited and able to regain custody of his young sons. During this time, he was able to establish full time placement of the children and successfully enroll them in the nearby school district. In the beginning of his programming, James mentioned that he and his family were struggling with a food insecurity.

Throughout his year in our program, James has visited multiple food pantries, established primary care physicians for all members of his family, removed/ eliminated his food insecurity, curated a tailored budget, and created a happy and safe environment for his family. In April 2025, James and his sons moved to a 3-bedroom unit in New Richmond and have acclimated well into their new neighborhood and community. They had made friends with those in their neighborhood and school districts and have gotten signed up at The Centre and plan to start swimming lessons over the summer. James has made tremendous progress while in our programming and continues to take steps to help stabilize him and his family.