Building futures rooted in faith

Throughout 2024, I repeatedly encountered young people experiencing homelessness. I would offer what I could, a meal, clothing, transportation, or help finding shelter, but I often walked away wishing I could do more. Then one day, I met a young man named Sean. He was standing outside a shopping center near the UNC Charlotte campus, leaning against a wall with a rolling suitcase beside him. Something in my heart compelled me to stop and speak with him. Sean shared that he had been staying with a friend on campus until campus police asked him to leave because he wasn’t a student. He had also been working at a local pizza restaurant, but after a disagreement with his manager about bringing his suitcase to work, he was fired. In a single day, Sean had lost both his place to stay and his job. Sean was only 20 years old. I bought him something to eat and drink. We chatted for a while. Before leaving, I asked him one simple question: “How can I pray for you?” His answer was, “Pray for my protection.”

Those words broke my heart. Of all the things he could have asked for, he asked to feel safe. In that moment, I realized just how vulnerable he was and how frightening it must be to face the world without the security of a place to call home. I was able to help Sean find a safe shelter that night, and we stayed in touch over the following weeks until he could reunite with a family member in Philadelphia. But that encounter stayed with me. That was the day the Lord placed the vision for Abraham’s House on my heart. I knew I wanted to do more than meet an immediate need. I wanted to help create a place where young adults could find safety, stability, guidance, and the support needed to build a life of their own. What began as one encounter became a calling. And that calling became Abraham’s House Foundation.

Name and certain identifying details have been changed to protect privacy.