Finding a Home and a Sense of Self Worth 

George Siletti was six years old when his family placed him in foster care. He was told the
placement was due to emotional problems. During the seven years George was in foster care, he had six different homes. When he was 13, George was taken out of foster care and placed in an orphanage run by a monastery.

As might be expected of one whose home life lacked continuity and support, George had a difficult time in school. At the age of 16, George stated he no longer wanted to attend school. The people at the orphanage offered a choice. He could stay in school or he could be "emancipated." George, without any guidance or encouragement to stay in school,
chose emancipation and entered the world with no education, no job, no family support, no government or organizational support and no money.

And, once he left his "home," he spent the next 30 years homeless. Due to George's bi-polar disorder, long-term, full-time employment was, and remains, beyond his capabilities. As he hitchhiked around the country, he found odd jobs whenever possible. His living quarters were forests, park benches, bridge underpasses and shelters. His meals came from garbage cans, soup kitchens and pan handling.

In 1996, George met a member of the National Coalition for the Homeless. Through the Coalition, George began speaking on homelessness and his life became more meaningful and directed. In 2003, as a result of a recommendation from Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place (FP), an Anne Frank House partner organization, George became an AFH resident.

Today George speaks to numerous organizations and schools. His audiences are always fascinated by the story of his life. His advocacy for organizations fighting homelessness is an invaluable resource in raising awareness wherever he speaks. Additionally, George is now assisting FP in their outreach program, an initiative to get homeless people off the streets and into a support system.

George credits Anne Frank House for creating for him a home and a sense of self worth. Without
the support of AFH and its partner organizations, George would still be on the streets living a life without direction or hope.