He was homeless 4 years ago and today he owns his first home
Chris Atoki was homeless only four years ago, but he had a lightbulb moment that changed his life forever. He is now a homeowner.
Chris Atoki, who is in his early twenties, recently purchased his first home. While this is a routine milestone for many people, it is very significant for Chris. That’s because Chris was homeless when he was 18-19 years old, with less than a dollar in his pocket.
He was on the verge of giving up on life when he chose not to.
Chris had reached rock bottom
Chris had a busy schedule when he was 18, especially for someone so young. Every day, he had to get up at 7 a.m. and go to class until 3 p.m. He’d then take a two-hour snooze before working a 12-hour shift from 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. the next day.
He’d take another nap before returning to school. He required the funds in order to pay his mother’s rent.
“One day my manager at my job says he has to cut a few people’s hours and since I’m in school, he picked me to be on of those. I figured it was fine. I could still pay mom rent and I would be able to sleep in so yay right?”
But Chris was mistaken. His company let him leave only two weeks later because he wasn’t putting in enough hours. “I’m 18 years old and I’m here.” Chris confessed, “The only job I had was fueling trucks, and I’m still going to school because that’s what I was taught you have to do to make it. The issue is that I lost even more because I had no money and no parental aid.”
His mother kicked him out from the house
He eventually ran out of money and could no longer afford to attend school. “Yes, I applied for hundreds of scholarships and received one,” he continued, “but I still couldn’t afford it.”
He was ejected from his home after a quarrel with his mother. He looked for refuge everywhere for a while, but no one would accept him.
“I got kicked out in November in the cold. Tried to crash on my grandmas couch. Didn’t last. Tried to stay and my girlfriends dorm. Nope her dad didn’t like that. Understandable.”
“I parked in front of Walmart. Freezing cold. Less than a dollar in my account. I think it was like $0.83 or something. No family. No friends. No money. Hungry. Felt like giving up. Cried. Tried to sleep.”
Chris was on the verge of giving up everything
“I didn’t get any sleep. I was reflecting on how much I despised everything. My mother, father. My loved ones. My job. College. My rusted automobile. People. But most importantly, I’m talking about myself,” Chris explained. “I convinced myself that my condition was an accumulation of reasons why my existence didn’t matter.”
Chris was on the verge of taking his own life when he came to a crucial insight. He realized he was “the only person I could honestly trust on was myself” as he peered in the rearview mirror. He discovered a cause to fight for: himself.
“I felt like I was born again. Like a different person. I was going to grab life by the horns.”
So he went to the library and filled out applications for every job he could think of. “I’m not joking. I worked in a warehouse, factory, meatpacking plant, wedding DJ assistant, solar panel canvaser (twice), insurance agent, and eventually as a mattress salesman for a company where I had to meet clients,” he stated.
He began slowly and steadily
“I was able to put a down payment and acquire another automobile because of the money I saved performing these odd jobs. For a while, I did this job until travelling 400 miles per day became too much for me,” Chris added. “Eventually, I applied to Mattress Firm and got the job.”
Chris’s progress was modest, despite the fact that he was receiving a 30k annual salary. He was still homeless, after all. “I couldn’t afford an apartment yet,” he explained, “so I’d shower at the gym next to the store and go to work.”
When he overslept before his shift, he almost got caught by a coworker. That’s when he decided to start looking for a place to call home. He was able to get a place for $550 per month. To begin with, it was adequate.
And, ultimately, he returned to school
“I was doing this for a while but I wasn’t happy. I didn’t want to do this for the rest of my life, but I also couldn’t go back to school. I looked up some online schools and after a while I saw LambdaSchool come up. It checked all the boxes.”
Chris and his situation were ideal for the Lambda school. The classes were available online, there was no deposit required, and you were given the option of paying back when you earn a reasonable salary–if you don’t, you don’t pay anything. Only problem was that Lambda only offered full-time programs, and Chris already had a full-time job.
Rather of giving up, he emailed Austen Allred, the CEO of Lambda. He had no expectation of receiving an answer. “I didn’t expect him to answer, but he did. I’ve never had a conversation with a company’s CEO about anything. I had no idea who the CEO of Mattress Firm was (and still have no idea).”
“So I didn’t have internet at my apartment or work so I used my hotspot on my phone to attend the classes while I was working. It sucked but once again I’m doing this for me.”
His son was born, giving him even more reason to fight
“I persevered despite a few setbacks, but everything went relatively smoothly, especially once my son was born,” Chris remarked. “This gives me another motive to fight and push myself. When he was first born, I wasn’t the best father, but I’ve learned from my mistakes and moved on.”
Chris became a teaching assistant after completing his education with Lambda and wanted to give back. “I wanted to assist children in achieving their goals and receiving the same assistance that I received. I gave everything I had to each of them, and they know it. All of them.”
But he aspired to even greater heights
Chris then applied for a job as a tech in Philadelphia. His income increased by a factor of two, but he maintained his momentum.
And now, he became a homeowner for the first time.
What he’d like the rest of the world to know
Chris hopes that his tale may inspire and encourage those who are going through a difficult time.
“I’m in a financial position greater than I ever thought possible.I’ll end and say no matter where you are. Find that motivation to push you to do better. It doesn’t happen overnight. I’m nobody special. I just took control of my life.”
Despite all odds, he was successful. “I’m a 24 year old black man with tattoos and was homeless just 4 years ago. To now owning a $350k home on 1.24 acres. If I can do it. You definitely can. I’m proud of myself.”
