“When you’re on the street by yourself, it feels pretty worthless. I don’t want to be here. It gets very lonely. I’ve been very depressed. I cry myself to sleep every night. I just wish I could find somebody to love me as much as I can love somebody else.

“Somehow, I still make myself laugh. It’s complicated. It felt insane at first. But it makes me feel better. Having a sense of humor. Laughing at things that hurt me worse.”

What’s the hardest thing you’ve been through?
“I don’t know. Everything. But it ain’t going to break me. Because I’m already broken. I’ve been broken for years.

“I’ve still got faith. It’s very small. But I’ve got it.”

The post Being homeless ‘feels pretty worthless’ appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“I’m 49, and I’m the youngest of 11 siblings. There were four things that my mother and father stressed to all of us. One, get an education because nobody can take that from you. Two, never fail in your faith. Three, exercise your right to vote. It’s not only a responsibility, it’s a privilege. And four, be civic minded. Always leave your community a little better than you found it.

“All of my brothers and sisters have their different volunteer activities that benefit the community. The ones I’ve helped with the longest are Rocking Horse Riders and Baytown Special Rodeo.

“The rodeo is such a wonderful event for so many special needs children and their families. When you spend all day with them and you see the smiles on their faces, it’s better than Christmas for me. It’s the best time of the year.”

— Raquel Gonzalez

Related:

• She’s taking care of, and driving, her Daisies
• Her father taught her many lessons about life

The post Children learn to be civic minded and much more appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“My husband had a very persistent attitude. He never wanted to give up. He always said, ‘A winner never quits and a quitter never wins.’

“We stood by that. There were days when we were tired and didn’t know how we were going to make it. But we took one step at a time and one day at a time, with lots of prayer.

“He was a man of prayer and a man of faith. I think that’s what really kept us going. When we were tired and weary he would say, ‘It’s the last lap. You have to get up. You have to keep going. You have to push yourself through every circumstance if you want to win the race.’

“Now that he’s gone, there are times when I feel like this is too much to handle. But I know there’s a vision and a mission to where we’re heading. And I think that’s what keeps us going here.”

— Samantha Payton

Following the death of her husband, Oscar, to a heart attack this year, Samantha has continued to run Payton’s Blend coffee shop in Baytown. She and her son, Oscar Jr., honor her husband’s goal of helping others in the community.

Related:

• Helping homeless comes natural for Oscar Jr.

The post Persistence pays off for coffee shop owner appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“I’m part of a faith-based, drug and alcohol recovery program. I was an alcoholic for over 35 years. I thought I was going to die with a bottle of whiskey in my hand. Through our center and what I was taught there and what I learned from the word of God, I don’t live that life anymore. I’ve been with the ministry for over four years now. I have no desire to ever drink again.

“God has done incredible work in my life. I was raised a racist. At 8 years old, I was taught how to hate and had lived my entire life like that. But I’ve just done a complete turnaround in my life, man. Some of my best friends in the center are black. I don’t have the prejudiced thoughts and hatred or anger and frustration that I used to have. He took all that out of my heart and replaced it with all the things he always intended to be in my heart to begin with.”

The post ‘I thought I’d die with a bottle of whiskey in my hand’ appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“I’ve been working out since January and lost quite a bit of weight that I gained after I was pregnant. My baby passed. She died of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). It was really hard. She died last year, two weeks after her first birthday.

“God has helped me through it all. I’ve also had a lot of support from family and friends. I still have my moments but because of my faith, I’m stable and content about where I’m at right now. Things are looking up for me.”

The post Bouncing back after daughter’s sudden death appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“I’ve owned this tire shop for 15 years. We’ve been robbed twice, the first time for over $4,000. The second time we lost my bird, a dove. People have crashed their cars into the shop a couple times.

“There haven’t been many customers lately. Business has been pretty rough. But I’m still going and still strong because of my faith. I keep getting up every morning and come here.

“Since I’m a widow, I want to stay busy. I don’t want to just sit on the couch with a remote control.”

The post Tire shop owner hangs on during tough times appeared first on The Baytown Project.