Antwan

Antwan came to CHM at the end of 2002, when he heard about the program from his sister’s social worker. Now, he is ready to make the transition into adulthood. He’s leaving CHM and getting a place of his own.

When Antwan was little his alcoholic mother gave custody of him and his sisters to his Grandma. His Grandma was already raising nine of Antwan’s siblings and couldn’t take on any additional responsibility. Antwan, his blind sister, and his twin sisters were given to Orchard Children Services and split up into different foster homes.

By age nine, Antwan had lived in more than 50 different homes. A family in Detroit adopted him and his siblings. The abuse began. His twin sisters ran away first and at age 14, Antwan followed suit. Antwan had nowhere to go, so the streets became his home. He begged for food and slept in abandoned buildings. Occasionally, he would stay with friends. Eventually, he ended up at other foster homes and shelters.

Amazingly, Antwan managed to finish school. At age 18, he moved in with his Uncle, but the house was foreclosed and he was forced to move again. His sister, Crystal, was living at CHM and told him to come. He moved into the Crisis Center and eventually moved over to the ROP transitional living facility.

Antwan has been working at John R Steel and saving money to move out on his own. He was recently offered a job at Torre and Bruglio as a Crew Captain for landscaping and horticultural services. He’s also starting school part-time at Northwestern Technological Institute to get certified in heating and cooling. He plans to go to Real Estate School and own his own business. His intention is to rent-to-own his “new” home on I-96 and Outer Drive. Crystal recently became a mother and both she and the baby will move in with Antwan. He plans to provide for the three of them.

“CHM gave me food and shelter so I could concentrate on getting my life together. It’s much easier staying focused when you don’t have to worry about where your next meal is coming from,” said Antwan.

We wish him well on his future endeavors as an independent adult.

Donate now to help Antwan and other kids in our Rights of Passage program.