Where will I sleep tonight? Will I have a roof over my head?

Anyone forced into homelessness has asked themselves those questions, and anyone who has asked themselves those questions has never forgotten how it made them feel.

My name is Kim Valentine.  At the age of 14, I was asking myself those questions. That is why I founded Operation Helping Hands, a non-profit organization that provides essential hygiene and necessity items to homeless individuals throughout Southern California with the participation of local youth.

Homelessness comes in all forms. Sometimes yes, it is the result of poor life choices. Yet often times, individuals are forced into homelessness due to circumstances beyond their control. Some like myself chose the unstable life of homelessness over a predictably dangerous and abusive situation. Thus, one day I was the 9th grade student body president and straight-A student, and the next, I was living on the street.