How One Kind Stranger Changed Stefan’s Life
Senior Director of Programs, Jessie Brown (left) and SPY Squad member, Stefan (right)
SPY members come to our Access Center having faced a variety of hardships. No one story is the same. That means our staff must be adaptable and prepared to tackle unique challenges, big and small. For a young person experiencing homelessness, an invested adult can make the difference between a night spent outside or taking their first steps toward stability.
We spoke with Senior Director of Programs, Jessie Brown, and SPY Squad Member, Stefan, about their friendship, and how access to individualized support helped Stefan achieve success.
Stefan, how did you hear about Safe Place for Youth (SPY)?
Stefan: About three months into me being homeless in California, I heard about the Access Center. I used to sleep by the train stops, sort of wherever I could go. Eventually, I found a laundromat that I could stay at overnight to stay out of the cold during the winter. And one of the regulars noticed me and told me about SPY. I remember saying, “that sounds great, but hard to believe.”
He actually dropped me off the following morning. Without that person telling me, I would have never found out and maybe never gotten a second chance. I think that's the most accurate way to explain it: a kind stranger being kind to me.
Within 48 hours at SPY, I was able to get a new license, California ID, and actually on the third day, I was able to get into temporary housing.
And how did you two meet?
Jessie: Man, I used to see Stefan all the time coming into the Access Center. Yeah, he was the life of the party. At the time, I was advertising our new youth advocacy group called SPY Squad. Stefan was so respected amongst his peers, and his energy and personality were so positive. That's when I reached out to him about joining.
Stefan: They were just starting SPY Squad. It was this youth-led thing. It was so nice to meet people who are like-minded, and have a space where they let you say what you like or say what you don't like.
SPY Squad went to Oregon for the West Coast Convening on Youth Homelessness, and Jessie and I bonded on that trip. We got to know each other on a new level. We were both just people from different backgrounds, different successes. What started as a staff-member relationship became a stronger mentor-mentee bond.
What are some of your favorite memories together?
Jessie: He might not remember this, but we were in DC, speaking about SPY together, and we ate at this restaurant afterwards. Walking back, there were individuals outside asking for food. Stefan didn’t hesitate. He gave them his food. It's one of my proudest moments because, no matter what, I saw Stefan was willing to give.
Stefan: Thank you. I actually forgot that. I wanted to give it to someone who probably hadn’t eaten all day at all, or maybe all week. Some people do that. I feel like when you live through that experience, it's easy for you to understand other people. I don't think anyone deserves to be homeless on the street, so I thought the least I could do is give someone some hot food.
So any favorite memories?
Stefan: For me, there’s a lot of good memories. We talk a lot, especially because of SPY Squad. I would stay behind after meetings and we would have conversations. We were really able to discuss things and communicate.
Jessie has been a great positive figure to me every time. When I'm sad or when I was going through stuff and I didn't have a job or I didn't have a place to stay. I would come to Jessie and say, “I need help, or mentally, I just can’t do it.” He would ask me to say my goals out loud, “I’m going to get housed. I’m going to get a car.”
Why is that bond so important for youth experiencing or at-risk of homelessness?
Stefan: For me, coming from homelessness makes you feel like nobody cares. When you come into SPY, people show that they care. It's something that they want to do. They get to know your story and what you want out of life.
Jessie would always check-up on me. Ask me, “How’s the housing site? What’s my progress? Am I working? How am I doing mentally and physically? Am I eating right?”
No one wants to be open around someone who they feel don't care about them. So with someone like Jessie, I feel like he knows my whole story. That kind of relationship is very core to SPY’s programs.
Jessie: I think mentorship and connection is vital to our organization. We have members who all went through life with different experiences, different traumas. Our youth are taking a big step coming to SPY. They’re saying “I need help. I need to connect.” It’s one of the things that I take pride in: being able to connect and provide that safe place for them, not pushing myself on them, but being able to be understanding when they need it.
Stefan has been a member of SPY Squad for two years now. He is housed, employed and working on his dream of becoming an actor or SPY staff member (whichever comes first!).
Making a connection like Stefan and Jessie's is the first step to breaking the cycle of homelessness for our young people. And those connections happen at our Access Center and housing sites every day.
On any given night, there are 3,000 young people without a home. Together, we can change that. Please consider a gift to Safe Place for Youth. With it, you’re ensuring each young person we serve has access to the tools they need to thrive.