Justin is 25 years old and was born and raised in San Rafael, where he lived most of his life with his grandmother. He has been homeless for a year and currently resides on the streets of West LA. He came down to West LA with two lifelong friends who came down from San Rafael for a short visit and who ultimately deserted him and left him in West LA by himself. He was unable to make it back up to San Rafael and has remained homeless in West LA since. His parental mother is in Indiana and his father is in Texas, he tries to remain in touch with both, however he has become estranged from both and mainly views his grandmother as the only relevant family figure in his life. His parents moved away from California ten years ago and he chose to stay with his grandmother and two cousins.
Justin was popular in high school being very actively involved in sports and the reading club, but struggled with maintaining grades, ultimately dropping out with only a few credits left to graduate. He has since worked different jobs with his main regular job having been at Carl’s Jr., which he lost due to the relocation and change in management. He has struggled with heavy modd swings since high school, and just as recently as a year ago was diagnosed as being bipolar and was prescribed risperidone, which causes sleepiness and a general “zombie” like effect.
Justin hopes to find a stable job, get out of the homeless cycle, and potentially move back to San Rafael to be with his grandmother.