Thom

Thom grew up as an “average” suburban teenager with caring parents, a nice home in Farmington Hills and a world of opportunity. Everything was on track in his life until he turned 16.

Thom began hanging with the wrong crowd and experimenting with drugs and alcohol. He also spent more and more time skipping class than attending. His GPA dropped drastically. Meanwhile, fights with his parents became frequent. They had no idea of his growing addiction and blamed Thom's errant behavior on teenage years.

Thirteen days before graduation, Thom dropped out of school. One night, after serious partying, Thom came home and got into an altercation with his parents. He quickly went into hiding, but was caught and sent to live with an uncle out of state. He continued his destructive behavior.

Soon, Thom got in touch with his Dad and came back to Michigan. Weeks after arriving at his Dad’s, he moved out with friends. One night, when he was getting high, Thom witnessed his friend die of an overdose. Days later, he overdosed himself.

After his near death experience, Thom called his Mom for help. She worked to get him into rehab, where he finally committed to sobering up. Thom continued to live a sober life until a number of circumstances caused him to be homeless. He called Covenant House, and Carlos, the Crisis Center Manager, picked him up.

Since coming to Covenant House, Thom has obtained his GED, learned how to budget his finances and gained purpose in his life. He has been building back the trust he lost with his Mom. He recently was hired to work at Cedar Point for the summer and plans to move near his Mom once the season ends.

“I’m moving in a positive direction!” exclaimed Thom. “The staff at Covenant House give me a lot of spiritual guidance.”

Thom explained that each staff member was helpful in their own way. “Carlos -- he gives second chances and teaches morals and values. Ms. Blanca gives personal guidance and really listens. Ms. Johnson helps out with any documentation I need. I will miss everyone at CHM, but I know it’s time for me to move on. I am getting my life together!”

Donate now to help Thom and other kids in our programs.