From Homeless to Homeowner: The Incredible Turnaround of Chris Atoki

Atoki grew up in an almost impossible reality. He was the sole provider in his household and juggled full-time school from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., and work from 5 p.m. until 5 a.m. the next morning. “I needed the job to pay my mother’s rent, and I was managing more or less, until my manager announced shift cuts. Still, I thought I’d be fine. I even looked forward to getting more sleep. But two weeks later, he fired me, saying I wasn’t working enough hours.”

With no job, Atoki needed to drop out of school. After a fight with his mother, he found himself out on the streets with no idea where to go. Before long, he found himself with no reason to wake up in the morning. That’s when things truly fell apart.

“The real problem is that with no income and no support from my parents, I lost myself. I spiraled so badly- I had no job, no roof over my head, and no purpose.”

The only thing he had was his car. “I remember the day I was thrown out and had to sleep in my car. I parked outside Walmart, it was freezing. I had less than a dollar in my account, maybe 83 cents. No family. No friends. No money. I was starving. I cried and tried to sleep, but I felt like giving up on life.”

It was precisely at rock bottom that he realized something powerful: only he could take the steps to change his reality.

“That’s the moment you tell yourself you have to do whatever it takes to break the cycle of poverty. I was willing to do anything. I honestly don’t know how to explain it, but I told myself I would fight for myself as long as I’m alive. Maybe someone else could say it better, but I felt like I was reborn. Like a new person. I was ready to grab life by the horns.”

And grab it he did. Chris applied for every job he could find at the public library. Eventually, he landed a job at a mattress company.

He realized he needed to go back to school and get the qualifications to move up the ladder from poverty to prosperity. He enrolled in college prep courses but feared the class schedule would conflict with work hours- and without a job, he couldn’t afford the degree.

He discussed the issue with the company’s CEO, who allowed him to attend online classes while working, without risking his job. “Back then, we didn’t have internet at work, so I used my phone’s hotspot to attend class during shifts. It sucked, but I knew I was doing it for me.”

Throughout this entire period, Atoki slept in his car.

Years later, he touched the hearts of Americans when he was photographed in front of the first home he purchased, where he stood beaming proudly. How did a homeless man end up with such a magnificent home in just a few years?

Chris graduated from college and began working as a teaching assistant, hoping to inspire other young people to chase their dreams no matter what obstacles they face. Word of his story spread, and soon schools, colleges, and universities across the U.S. began inviting him to speak. Today, he works in the tech industry with a high-paying job, is married with a son, and owns a beautiful house of his own.

“My goal was to show people that no matter what circumstances brought you into poverty, you can rise above them. I'm a young Black man who didn’t have much of a chance, and I was homeless just a number of years ago. Now, this $350,000 home on 0.31 acres of land is mine. If I could do it, you can too.”