Safe and Successful Youth Initiative To say that Kristian has lived a tough life would be dramatically underselling his story. Overwhelmed with difficulties at home, Kristian dropped out of high school in 2015, and became involved with less than productive activities on the streets. In 2018, Kristian was stabbed in the arm. Friends suggested he check out the SISU program and try to get his life back on track. Shortly thereafter he found himself without a stable place to live and spent his nights sleeping on floors and couches. Despite his living situation, Kristian continued to attend programming at SISU. During the summer of 2019, his life began to stabilize. He got a job and was able to save some money. He and his girlfriend were able to get an apartment and purchase a car. That fall, they welcomed their first child into their family. In 2020, Kristian decided to take another step towards future stability, and he enrolled in the HiSET program at the SISU Center. In March of 2021, Kristian and his girlfriend welcomed their second child in their family. However, it wasn’t long before tragedy struck again. In December of 2021, Kristian’s girlfriend was murdered in a drive by shooting. Kristian was again lost. All that he had built over the previous three years was starting to unravel. As they had so many times before, the SISU team sought out Kristian and provided support. It continues to be a long tough rough to find a positive headspace, but Kristian is more determined than ever to turn things around. He continues to be a father to his 2 small kids, he has passed 4 of his 5 HiSET tests, and is looking forward to passing the 5th soon. Kristian’s goal is to use everything he has learned at SISU to help other kids in the City change their lives and seek help when they need it. “SISU has done a lot for me and so I refer other kids in the City here when they need help.” LAWRENCE PROSPERA FY’2021–2022 ANNUAL REPORT PAGE 7
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