Germaine's story

Our shelter clients come to us at many stages of life. While homelessness among seniors is on the rise, which we shared recently in Adam’s story, young men can face even more  challenges. Young men are subject to higher rates of violence, difficulty getting new jobs due to negative stereotypes, and face significant barriers to the services they need to secure future success in life like education, mental health care, and substance abuse treatment.

At North Side Housing we approach every client as an individual, creating a customized plan of care and supportive services that they need to rebuild their lives with jobs and stable housing 

Meet Germaine T. At 22, he had dropped out of college and was facing a host of challenges when he moved into our shelter in December 2024.

As is often the case, a series of traumatic events resulted in this smart, young man becoming homeless. He endured a house fire in 2023, a gunshot wound in 2024, and

the unexpected deaths of his mother from cancer and his sister in a car accident in 2025. They destabilized his mental health, forcing him to drop out of school,  and left him homeless. Staff member Sonja B noted that Germaine was very quiet and mostly kept to himself, carrying around a basketball like it was his security blanket. “You could tell he was looking for friendship,” she noted. After staying with us for four months, he got into a fight with another resident and moved out of the shelter. 

Fast forward a couple months and he showed up at the shelter in rough shape. Most of his possessions, including his basketball, had all been stolen when he ended up back on the streets. Our staff welcomed him to move back in, and got him new clothes, shoes and a new basketball! 👕👟🏀

Germaine says losing his mom and his sister last year took him to a “very dark place,” but as the third oldest of nine, he was determined to be the big brother his siblings needed, so we got him a new doctor, a therapist, and new medication to stabilize his mental health. 

He’s worked hard to rebuild his life and his relationships  with his father and his seven siblings. He just got a new job at a Burger King near the shelter and he’s doing great! He’d like to go back to college in the fall. 📓🎓

By providing young men like Germaine with a stable living place, and our staff committed to meeting  all their basic needs, they build confidence and feel empowered to build a solid foundation for their future.

At North Side Housing we work with homeless men of all ages to rebuild their lives so they can permanently end their homelessness and live happy, independent lives.