Michael arrived in San Francisco at age 17, suffering from depression and methamphetamine addiction after living on the streets in LA for more than a year. Over time, counselors at the Drop-In Center and Diamond Youth Shelter helped Michael begin to address his mental health and substance abuse issues, and he began to make progress. He participated in HIRE UP’s Job Readiness Class and Wire Up Computer Class, and he successfully passed each of the component tests for his GED. Motivated by his success, Michael enrolled in a career-track internship program through the Institute for HIRE Learning. Now 18, Michael lives at Avenues to Independence. He is employed full-time by a local hospital and enrolled at City College of San Francisco. He plans to pursue a four-year degree in social work, and hopes one day to work in the nonprofit arena to help other young people like him.

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