Christian shares his story about growing up with an abusive mother, running away, and ending up in and out of group homes. Today he’s on his own, trying to build a new life for himself. He hopes his story can help others. Here’s a piece of that story, in his own words. (We’re not using his last name to protect his privacy.)

Christian feels betrayed by his parents, and sometimes by DCYF, the agency that looked after him as a teenager in and out of group homes. Now he wants to share his story, hoping it can give other kids like him some hope for the future.