Monique Litchman was unfamiliar with what resources were available around Kansas City when she ended up homeless. She spent nearly four years bouncing between living on the street, hospitalizations and staying in shelters.
Navigating those early days, Litchman says she turned to prayer, and described not knowing what was to come or where to get supplies as "scary."
"I was walking in a snowstorm around the Crossroads area, and I had no blanket. I don't believe I had a warm coat," Litchman told KCUR's Up To Date. "And I actually ended up finding a blanket in the trees."
"The first winter was awful," Litchman said.
When Jeffrey Dungan ended up without a home, he turned to the City Union Mission.
"As a place to stay overnight, it was great to have," Dungan said.
But after year, Dungan — who is diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and social anxiety — could no longer stay at the Mission.
"They were feeling that I was not making enough progress and trying to find a place on my own," Dungan said.
As the winter season approached, Dungan began camping outside with friends he'd made. They built a fire within their tent to keep warm.
"I'm not a camper guy by nature, but my friends were, so they were pretty good with knowing what to do, how to build a fire, how to keep an eye on it so it wouldn't get too big and burn the shelter down," Dungan said.
Both Litchman and Dungan have now found employment and housing.
- Monique Litchman, intern at Relentless Pursuit Outreach and Recovery
- Jeffrey Dungan, employee, reStart Inc.
