Stories that Inspire.
Victories to Celebrate.
Looking Back…
As we reflect on the past year, we’re filled with gratitude for the difference your support has made in the lives of our graduates. Your compassion has ignited a spark of hope in them. Here
are some updates on some of the men and women you’ve read about this year.
Together, we’ve witnessed remarkable transformations: individuals finding stable housing, securing meaningful employment, reuniting with loved ones, and restoring relationships with Christ.
As we embark on a new year, we invite you to join us in writing the next chapter of these inspiring stories. Your support will empower even more individuals to break free from adversity
and build a brighter future. Thank you for your generosity.
Crystal
Crystal has overcome her addiction by focusing on healing from past trauma, not just coping.
Crystal’s life has been marked by deep-seated pain and trauma. From childhood abuse to addiction and trafficking, she has endured unimaginable suffering. “I grew up in a really quiet household,” she recalls. “There were a lot of secrets and oppression.”
The loss of her father at a young age and the subsequent trauma of sexual abuse left her feeling isolated and alone. “I didn’t have a voice in my family. I didn’t have intimate relationships with anyone,” she said. As she grew older, Crystal struggled with mental health issues and substance abuse. “I felt like I knew God, but He wasn’t for me. It didn’t feel like God would even want me,” she confessed.
Her life spiraled further out of control, leading to homelessness and trafficking. “I had no fight left in me,” she said, recounting the depths of despair.
Yet, amidst the darkness, a glimmer of hope emerged. “During this last time in jail, from lights out to 5 a.m., I’d pray to God to just take me out or to use me,” she said. “It was in that breaking that I started feeling like complete liquid. All that was left was a light inside me, and that was God.”
The Lighthouse offered Crystal restoration. “They believed in healing. They know the transformation of God. He will restore because He is a true healer,” she said. “I’m using all that I went through to help others.”
Update: Crystal is working on her degree in counseling with City Vision University, while also in the Lighthouse’s enhanced program as a Ministry Resident at the Lighthouse. Here she is learning ministry and gaining experience for her future helping others.
Vito
In Vito’s 20s and 30s, he got married and had three kids. He would go from one job to another while maintaining his addiction to drinking, cocaine, and ultimately his drug of choice – meth.
Vito’s wife of 12 years decided she could no longer stand by and be part of his drug-addicted life. “She deserved better,” Vito said. “Our kids deserved better. It was hard but I understood.”
Due to an arrest, Vito was placed on probation. During his probation, he was residing in a sober living home. “I was doing good. I was sober and selling cars. My kids were coming back, and my ex-wife and I were friends again,” Vito said. However, that all came crashing down when Vito sold a car to a young couple. Vito recalled, “I was pulled over for running a traffic light and the car was searched since I was on probation. The couple buying the car had drugs on them and had put them under the seat.”
His probation officer gave him a choice to either spend the rest of his probation in jail or to go to a recovery program. The next week Vito found the Mission.
“What I am getting and learning here at the Mission is that spending time in God’s presence will make me a man of character to give me strength and integrity.”
Update: After completing the Life Recovery Program in October 2022, Vito moved to our Transitional Living Program. After completing his probation, Vito moved to Phoenix, found stable employment, and reunited with his wife and children. Vito has recently discovered golf: “Who would have ever thought that I would be playing golf?” he laughed. But as much as he enjoys his work and leisure time, Vito shared that “nothing makes me happy like having my family back together!”
Victoria
Victoria is leaning on God and the staff at the Lighthouse
Growing up in a toxic household, Victoria learned to seek love in all the wrong places. As a young adult, she fell prey to a manipulative trafficker who isolated and controlled her.
“He knew exactly how to be a con-artist. He came into my life, isolated me from my family, manipulated my mind, and made me think he loved me,” Victoria said.
The Lighthouse provided Victoria with a lifeline. The program helped her gain the strength to break free from her abuser and rebuild her life. “It was at the Lighthouse I learned just how manipulated, coerced, and controlled I actually was. In the beginning, I thought, ‘There’s no way he could be my pimp. He’s my boyfriend.’ But later I realized he was both. I could finally start healing once I recognized that.”
Victoria graduated from the Life Recovery Program in August 2023 and moved into the Lighthouse’s transitional housing. In January 2024, she received public housing in Marin County and was “incredibly blessed” to be gifted a car by a partner nonprofit. She received a full scholarship to Vanguard University and is working towards a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, with a minor in women’s justice and an emphasis on human trafficking.
Her ultimate vision is to start a nonprofit to help survivors of all kinds, including single fathers and families affected by addiction and trafficking. She believes that by sharing her story, she can inspire others to seek help and break free from their own chains.
“I want everyone to know they’re not alone, and to accept help when it’s there so they can pull themselves out, because there’s always another you out there that needs you. I tell myself there’s another ‘Victoria’ out there that needs to hear my story to help them, so they can help the next person, and the next person, and the next person. You have to fight for them. So, fight.”
Update: Today, Victoria is thriving. She has regained custody of her young son, secured stable housing, and is pursuing a degree (on full scholarship!) in criminal justice to help other survivors. She recently spoke at the Lighthouse’s Hope on the Harbor fundraiser.
Vinny
Vinny finished the Life Recovery Program and is now a Ministry Resident.
Vinny’s father was an alcoholic and was abusive to him and his mother. When he was 10, his parents divorced, and he rarely saw his father again.
It pains Vinny to admit that he repeated this cycle with his own children. “I wanted to be the greatest dad in the world because I didn’t have one,” he said. “I became the mirror image of my own father. I’ve been in and out of my son’s life. I disappeared, went out on the streets, and became homeless.”
Vinny and his wife divorced after 10 years of marriage and Vinny entered the Mission’s Life Recovery Program in 2017. “I realized that I couldn’t do it all by myself,” he said. “I needed a community, church, people around me to push me forward and not let me roll back.
“I was there for 15 months. It got me thinking: ‘What am I doing out (on the streets)?’ We need to understand who we are. We aren’t worthless. We aren’t just drug addicts. You can get that understanding here.”
Vinny graduated the program, met his new wife, and the couple has two children. But two years later, Vinny relapsed. He returned to the Mission.
“The camaraderie among the brothers, being all here together, it’s awesome. People here love on outcasts, on those who have been rejected by society. When people share the word of God with you, you realize that you are wanted.
Update: After working briefly for Mercy House while in our Transitional Living Program, Vinny is now a Community Health Worker for Ventura County. “Every day at work I get to give back and help those who are where I once was,” Vinny shared. He has his own two-bedroom apartment and gets to spend time every weekend with his two small children. “My life is good, and I am grateful for what I learned at the Mission.”
Beatrice
Beatrice graduated from the Lighthouse’s Life Recovery Program in July.
Beatrice had spent years outdoors, her home the unforgiving Santa Paula river bottom. The freedom of the open air, the ability to come and go as she pleased, had become a comfort, a shield against the world. But beneath this hardened exterior lay a heart burdened by grief and addiction.
“Grief brought me to the river bottom,” she confessed. “My grandfather, my son—their losses shattered me. I turned to methamphetamines, spiraled into depression, and contemplated suicide. I lost everything: my job, my home, my car. I didn’t care anymore.”
The river bottom, once a refuge, had become a prison. “I was tired of the streets, of the constant struggle,” she explained. “I yearned for change, for a chance to reconnect with my family. My mom, always my rock, supported me every step of the way.”
She learned about the Lighthouse, and before entering the program, she had already conquered one challenge: sobriety. “I went in a month clean. If I was serious about change, I had to do it for myself,” she declared.
The transition to indoor living was daunting. “I was scared,” she admitted. “The structure, the rules—it was a stark contrast to the freedom I was used to. But the women in the program were amazing, and my family’s unwavering support kept me going.”
Beatrice graduated from the program in July and her perspective on life has changed. “Now, I feel safer inside. I even prefer staying in,” she laughed. “The program has helped me heal, and I’m rebuilding my relationship with God and my family.”
Update: Beatrice is coming close to the completion of her enhanced program as a Vocational Resident. Beatrice is working at our thrift store learning retail and production. She is also completing her GED so she can have stability and more career opportunities when she graduates from our program.
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