From Homeless to Hopeful: A Family’s Journey with The Salvation Army

Jon Armstrong was not expecting to become a father. When he found out his partner, Sierra, was pregnant, they were living in a tent in the woods, both struggling with addiction and seeing no way out. 

“I’ve been through a lot in my life,” Jon says. “But there is nothing scarier than being homeless and drug-addicted while expecting a baby.”

“I did not think there was any hope. But that was not the case.”

For years, Jon and Sierra came to Abbotsford, B.C., in search of basic support. They found it through The Salvation Army, where they received daily meals and additional help during the winter months.

“They helped us with clothes and hampers. Whatever we needed,” Jon shares.

When Sierra became pregnant, The Salvation Army stepped in once again.

Staff at the Army’s Centre of Hope in Abbotsford went above and beyond to support the soon-to-be parents. They hiked into the woods to bring food, helped Sierra get to prenatal appointments and connected the couple with a recovery program.

At eight months pregnant, Sierra entered treatment and later delivered their son, Slayder.  

“Our son was perfect,” Jon recalls.

“This place literally saved my family.”

It has now been three years since Slayder’s birth. Jon and Sierra are still substance free. They have a home and Jon works full-time at the Centre of Hope, alongside the same staff who encouraged and supported him during his struggles.

“There is nowhere else I would like to work, because this place literally saved my family.”

For Al Breitkreuz, someone who has known Jon for over six years, witnessing this transformation has been moving. 

“Success is not measured by how far you get in life, but by the obstacles you’ve overcome to get to where you are. And that makes Jon Armstrong one of the most successful people I have ever met,” Al says.

Jon is proud of where he is today. His journey has motivated him to give back by supporting others who are facing the same hardships he once did.

“If any part of my story helps someone else or even show just one person that it is possible to make it out, then that is all I need,” Jon says. “I did not think there was any hope. At many points in my life, I had accepted the fact that I was going to die out on the streets or from drugs, but that was not the case.”

By Juan Romero