Live Week: Jackson’s Story

Hello again KCB Blog readers..

This “Live” Week, we got the chance to sit down with Jackson Curtis, a local resident who has been living in his Bellflower apartment for 27 years.. and that wasn’t a typo.. TWENTY-SEVEN years. As a matter of fact, Jackson’s had stable housing his whole life, really. He’s only lived in two places ever. He had the kind of stability most of us take for granted until it’s threatened. But sometimes.. life throws you curveballs, no matter where you come from, and for Jackson, that threat started becoming a reality.

We’ve known Jackson for a while now.. we’ve seen him around the Community Center plenty, trading a few laughs, swapping stories about staying healthy and sharp. He’s a down-to-earth guy and wise in that way that only comes from walking through fire and still choosing kindness. He’s well-spoken, thoughtful.. and is just one of those people that remind us why we fight hard to keep these doors open.. even when waiting lists are long and the needs keep coming.

Jackson first heard about KCB years back at Eastside Christian Church.. and at the time is was nothing big. He filed it away in his mind.. thinking he might lead others who needed help through our doors, but not thinking about getting the help himself. As previously shared, he’s been in his Bellflower apartment for 27 years. So he had roots. But then.. Life hit hard, and everything was threatened. A three-day eviction notice soon showed up, and to make matters worse, he had a restraining order against his property manager after an assault earlier in the process. So with no safe way to communicate and with his pension income delayed, stress became so thick that it was hard for him to breathe. “It was an incredibly stressful experience,” he told Valerie, our Housing Case Manager. “Especially having to obtain a restraining order against my manager due to assault. Communicating my needs during that time was extremely difficult.” And what he came to realize was that what he needed more than just some financial help was someone to talk to. He needed a person.

That’s when Valerie stepped in.

Jackson walked in to our office overwhelmed, anxious, clutching his papers like they were the last thing holding him together. “When I first arrived, I was feeling overwhelmed and anxious about my situation,” he said. “Learning there was a waiting list made me fear I might lose my housing.” But Valerie saw him. She sat with him. She explained everything the whole process. Even walked him through documents and checked up on things every step of the way. And not just on the process, but on the person. She genuinely showed compassion for how he was holding up through everything.“Valerie helped me understand exactly what documents I needed and kept in regular contact,” Jackson shared. “Not just to provide updates but to genuinely check in on how I was doing. Valerie became a compassionate listener during a time when I truly needed someone to hear me.”

Layer by layer, she lifted the weight. And even now.. months later.. she still checks in. Just to see how he’s doing. It’s the epitome of what our vision says. People over programs. Relationships over systems. “Even after I received the help I needed, she continues to check in on me from time to time, just to make sure I’m doing okay,” he said. “That kind of care means more than words can express.”

When the rental assistance finally came through for Mr. Curtis.. he felt a help weight lift off of him. “Letting go of all that stress made a huge difference,” he told her. “It gave me the space to refocus on other things.” He paid off debts. Caught up. Was able to breathe again. And now he’s pouring into his health.. mental health, physical health, all of it, and sharing KCB with others who need to know help exists in the process.

His words for anyone in the midst of the fight? “Live with hope and speak with positivity.. because the things we believe in and speak into existence can and do happen.”

To the donors, the partners, the ones pouring into these programs.. Jackson says thank you. Not just for the money to get help.. but for the hope that comes as a byproduct of it.. “I’m incredibly thankful and grateful that the financial assistance was available to support me when I needed it most.” And he’s right.. programs like this can be literal lifelines that provide that liiiiitle bit of hope we all need to keep looking forward..

But they only work when people like you, the reader, show up. When people like you give. When people like you care enough to do what you can to help keep these doors open.

Live Week is about exactly this.. literally keeping people living again. Breathing a little easier. Dreaming forward. Knowing without a shadow of a doubt that they’re not forgotten.

For Jackson.. he may have been in Bellflower nearly three decades.. but now, because of this community.. he can continue adding to those numbers. That’s what it’s all about.

So let’s keep Jackson in our prayers.. for continued peace, for health, for that hope to keep spreading throughout these Bellflower streets. Pray for Valerie and the whole housing team.. for strength, for wisdom, for hearts that never burn out. And pray for every neighbor still clutching that three-day notice.. still waiting on that list.. still wondering if help’s coming.

Your support.. your giving, your prayers.. it all helps. And it all matters. If you’re interested in giving, click here to jump over to our giving page and give to the Love Thy Neighbor Fund. You can mark it “LTNF” so it goes right where it’s needed. Because someone else is gonna walk in tomorrow.. scared, stressed, just like Mr. Curtis did.

Jackson.. we see you. We thank God for you. And we’re believing with you for every good thing ahead. Here’s to another 27 years!

Thanks for reading.. Until next time..