ANAHEIM, Calif. — Breaking a cycle requires sorting through what’s worth letting go and what’s worth protecting. Anthony Garcia has two reasons to start over.

“I’ve been telling my kids to not to give up. This is a test now and this is something I go to pay back for,” said Garcia.

He’s a single dad who says he grew up alone and without family support.

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“The choices that I did, I thought I loved them. I didn’t know they were going to haunt me later on in life which they did,” said Garcia.

At 46 years old, Garcia wanted to step up to his role as a father, but says the mother of his daughter and son stepped out. They got by until he got injured and couldn’t work. He and his two kids slept in his car for a month.

“I’d be hungry and I’d buy them something and they’re telling me to eat. I say, 'No you guys go ahead. I’m OK,'” said Garcia.

The single dad says he was determined to give his kids a better life so he looked into resources and found the Illumination Foundation.

Last year, the nonprofit raised money for their Street2Home program to buy an eight-bedroom home in Anaheim to give families a safe place to sleep at night and an opportunity to work towards finding a job and learning how to become self-sufficient during the day.

“To date, we’ve had about 38 families that have come through this house. A lot of them have moved into their own apartments or their own housing,” said Paul Leon, CEO of Illumination Foundation. 

Typical stays at the house range from 30 to a maximum of 75 days as residents work to find permanent housing options, and during that time residents receive wrap around case management services, workforce development skills training, and help building meaningful relationships with the community so they actually keep their home.

Leon looks different from Garcia, but Leon says his upbringing in Compton wasn’t that much of a contrast. Leon also got into some trouble in his youth, but was fortunate to have a supportive family.

“It allows me to put myself right back in their shoes and to know not only how hopefully inspire them, but to also hold them accountable. And to say you can do it, we’re behind you. You just can’t give up hope,” said Leon.

Garcia says he hasn’t been wasting time since he’s been at the shelter. The nonprofit helped him find an apartment and now he’s working on finding a job. Garcia says he's worked in kitchens at hotel restaurants and has experience in manpower and construction-type positions. 

“There’s nothing that can stop you but yourself. Keep pushing hard. Don’t look back. Don’t look back,” said Garcia.

He says he’s determined to break the cycle of homelessness and show his kids that he’s doing it all for them.

For more information about the Illumination Foundation’s Street2Home program, visit the website here.