Before CATCH
Ryan spent much of his life learning how to keep going.
After losing his mom at a young age, he was raised by his grandmother and learned that he had to be the kind of person who carries hard things quietly. He cared for her until 2016, the same year he moved to Idaho with his daughter, who was just one month old. He was determined to build something better for the two of them.
For a while, it worked. Ryan bought a home in 2017. But by 2022, that home was gone. His relationship with his daughter’s mother had deteriorated, and for his child’s safety, he fought to secure custody. During that time, Ryan also struggled with addiction. The foundation he had built gave way, and what followed was the hardest stretch of his adult life.
A rental fell apart. Money ran out. He and his daughter spent nights in his car and in hotels while he searched for anything that could work.
Being a single father meant Ryan fell through gaps most people do not know exist. The support systems designed for single parents are often built with single mothers in mind. For fathers, that difference is not a footnote. It is a closed door. A full shelter. An unanswered call. Ryan faced all of it.
He kept looking for the next right step. And his daughter was the reason he never stopped.
During CATCH
Ryan had already reached out to several places before connecting with CATCH. What was different this time was that his effort was finally met with support that made forward movement possible.
He spent a little over a year working with the CATCH team. They met regularly, talked through what was happening in his life, and set goals month by month.
“I’ve liked it for the simple fact that every month we would meet,” Ryan shared. “It wasn’t like ‘Okay, here’s a check and we’re gonna pay your rent.’ It was more than that. Every month we would meet and I was asked: ‘What is going on in your life? Are you doing okay? Is there anything we can do to help?’ And at the end of every meeting it was, ‘Okay, here are your goals for the next month. Next month when we meet, let’s see where we are at with these goals.'”
Those meetings gave structure to a season that had felt like it was coming apart.
For the first time in a long time, Ryan was not carrying every decision alone.
“It’s always been more than just like Section 8,” he said. “It’s more like a family, if that makes sense.”
The progress was real and measurable. One of Ryan’s clearest goals was raising his credit score, and he did it, even while navigating instability. He was quietly rebuilding the kind of foundation that creates more options down the road. CATCH also connected Ryan with resources to address his mental health, something that had been neglected for years. With stable housing and consistent support, he was finally able to commit to individual therapy and start setting healthy boundaries for himself and his daughter.
And then there was the bike…
Tia, Ryan’s case manager, connected him to the Boise Bicycle Project right before the holidays. His daughter was the first child to receive a bike at their December fundraiser, making her holiday season extra special.
“She was so excited she wore her helmet the whole day.”
After CATCH
The impact of CATCH’s support reached far beyond one housing need. For Ryan, being stably housed meant being able to breathe again. It meant enough steadiness to think about what came next instead of just surviving the day in front of him.
Most importantly, it meant consistency for his daughter. Housing found through CATCH helped keep her in the same school, connected to the same kids she was growing up with. Today, she is growing up surrounded by the friends, routines, and sense of belonging that every child deserves. For a child, that kind of stability is not just about where they sleep. It is about the chance to keep growing in a place that feels safe. Because of Ryan’s determination and CATCH’s support, she was able to stay rooted in the life she knew while her father rebuilt.
Ryan’s own life reflects that progress. Despite setbacks, including a serious car accident and injury, he kept moving forward.
“I’m at the point in my life where things are actually moving forward,” he shared.
Today, Ryan is sober. He works in property management as a maintenance supervisor, overseeing work connected to two apartment communities. A father who once struggled to find stable housing is now helping care for the places other people call home.
He is also moving toward homeownership again with a new partner. The man who lost a home in 2022 is building toward one again in 2026. That is not just recovery. That is a life rebuilt.
Ryan also shared something that says more than any outcome metric could.
“I feel right now, the most confident I’ve been in my life in a long time.”
From the CATCH Team
“As a single father, Ryan showed an incredible amount of resilience through every challenge he faced. His dedication to providing a better future for his daughter never wavered. No matter what they were going through, she always had a smile on her face. Watching the two of them support each other through difficult moments was a powerful reminder of the strength families can have, even during times of uncertainty. Once Ryan was stably housed, it gave him the opportunity to make intentional changes in his life that he wasn’t able to prior. I am incredibly proud of the progress Ryan has made, and I am excited to see what his future holds.” — Tia, CATCH Case Manager
This story was shared with Ryan’s full knowledge and consent.