Gloria Finds What She Needs

She had dreams of becoming an actress when she came here. She thought it would be easy. At least that’s the way they had made it look on TV, but Gloria, a 20 year old covenant house resident soon found out that “making it” was more than just hopping a bus and coming to Hollywood. What Gloria found instead was that it tougher to be on her own than she had anticipated. “I didn’t think things through.” She says now. With no place to go, she was soon on the streets.

“I had only fifty bucks in my wallet when I came out here. I didn’t know what to do.” Gloria spent a week on the streets. She spent nights at a bus station , then at a waiting room hospital. When asked what it was like, she replies simply, “It’s cold and lonely.”

Gloria knew she needed to find a shelter. Not knowing where to go, she looked through the phone book. It was there that she discovered Covenant House California’s crisis line and called it.

Gloria says she was surprised at what she found when she arrived at CHC. “I was expecting a gross shelter but then I got here and it was completely different than I expected. I didn’t expect it to be so nice. They provided everything for me that I needed: food, shelter, medical needs.”

Gloria’s perspectives have changed since she first got off the bus in Hollywood. “Now, I want to find a good career and keep saving my money and move into my own apartment.” Along with providing basic services, CHC has been helping her obtain that goal. CHC assisted her with preparing for her GED. She has since passed it and is now attending Bryman College to study medical insurance. “Covenant House is the place to be to help you get back on your feet.” She says smiling. “It’s a good place to be”

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