The following testimony is from Ivan, a former Freedom House resident who became homeless with his mother last winter. He gave his account of Freedom house at our fundraising event, The New Beginnings Ball, in September, and was able to meet WFRV’s Tammy Elliott, who is helping Ivan explore a possible internship in media. This is his story. “Being a homeless teenager was the hardest thing I ever had to do. My mother and I live alone, so even at 17, I am already the man of the household. But having to go to Freedom House was not something I was prepared for. Before coming to Green Bay, we moved around a lot. Sometimes it was to find work for my mom, other times it was to get away from abuse. But when we finally came to Green Bay, we thought things were finally going to work out. We were wrong. The house and the job that were lined up through a relative fell through. We were forced to live in a shelter. I go to Green Bay East, and the fact that I was living in a shelter was not something I wanted my friends to know about. I hid it as best I could. It was tough getting used to all the rules and losing your privacy. My mom is the hardest worker I know and I love her more than anything, but when you’re a guy my age, you don’t really want to share a bedroom with your mom. The last thing I wanted was someone telling me when to eat, when to go to bed, and enforcing a curfew. But after getting to know the staff, I realized that the rules were there to help us. I developed relationships with the staff and volunteers that I can now call my friends. Like TJ, I also went to Young Life camp this past Summer and gave my life to Christ. Now, I can think about my future and dream big! I am currently doing a lot of studying in media and visual arts. I also have made some great friends at school. I enjoy hanging out with them, playing pool together, and just doing normal kid things. I hope to graduate high school next school year and find a college program where I can study art. My mom has a full-time job now at Aurora and is doing what she does best…WORK! Freedom House equipped us with the tools we needed to get where we are. I will never forget and always appreciate my friends there. And even though I didn’t get the ordinary teenage life, I know I have an extraordinary future to look forward to. Thank you all for helping make this possible for me.”