We build the bridge between survival and stability.

When people meet Dilan today, they see a nonprofit leader, an advocate, and a fundraiser dedicated to ending homelessness in Orange County. 

What they don’t immediately see is the little boy who once called motel rooms, homeless shelters, and even the outdoors home. 

Born in Germany, Dilan moved to the United States with his biological mother and siblings in 2005 to escape an abusive situation. They arrived with little more than hope for a better future—but no permanent place to live. For the next two years, the family found refuge in a homeless shelter in Texas and later in a trailer. While the shelter and trailer provided safety, life remained uncertain. Every day was a reminder of how fragile stability could be, and even at a young age, Dilan learned what it meant to navigate life without a permanent place to call home. 

In 2007, the family moved to Orange County seeking stability. Instead, they found themselves trapped in the hidden world of homelessness. Week after week, they scraped together enough money to pay for another motel room, never knowing where they would live next. 

One room housed six people. 

That room was a bedroom, living room, dining room, and kitchen all at once. Privacy didn’t exist. Stability didn’t exist. Childhood looked different there. 

Dilan attended seven elementary schools and six middle schools as his family moved from motel to motel across Orange County. Every move meant starting over, leaving behind friends, teachers, and any sense of normalcy. He remembers wearing clothes that no longer fit because buying new ones wasn’t an option, enduring teasing from classmates who noticed what poverty looked like before he fully understood it himself. 

At just nine years old, Dilan became one of the children featured in HBO’s documentary Homeless: The Motel Kids of Orange County, filmed in the shadow of Disneyland. While millions of families traveled to Orange County to create magical memories, hundreds of local children were simply hoping for a safe place to sleep each night. 

Looking back, Dilan says he didn’t realize he was documenting the hardest chapter of his own life. 

As he grew older, the challenges continued. There were nights spent outside when motel payments couldn’t be made. There were moments when giving up would have seemed understandable. Yet through every setback, Dilan held tightly to one belief: education would be his path forward. 

He studied relentlessly. 

Despite attending thirteen different schools before high school graduation, despite instability that would derail most young people, Dilan graduated with a 4.4 GPA and earned admission to multiple universities where he ended up attending UCLA on a full ride scholarship. His story became one of resilience, determination, and refusing to let circumstances define his future. 

But perhaps the most remarkable chapter was still ahead. 

Years earlier, as one of the first children served when Illumination was founded in 2008, Dilan had experienced firsthand what compassionate intervention could mean for a family facing homelessness. The organization provided more than services—it provided dignity, stability, and the belief that someone cared. 

Today, Dilan has come full circle. 

As the Mid-Level Gifts Officer at Illumination Health + Home, he now works on behalf of the very mission that once changed his own life. Every donor meeting, every partnership, every fundraising event carries a deeper meaning because he knows exactly what those investments make possible. 

He knows that behind every gift is a child who may finally have a bed to sleep in. A mother who no longer has to choose between rent and groceries. A family that can begin to imagine a future beyond survival. 

For Dilan, philanthropy is not abstract—it is personal. 

He is living proof that a single act of compassion can echo for decades. The support that once helped a frightened little boy survive became the foundation that allowed him to thrive, graduate, build a career, and dedicate his life to ensuring others receive the same opportunity. 

His story reminds us that homelessness does not define a person’s potential. 

Sometimes the child sleeping in a motel room grows up to become the person helping thousands of others find a place to call home. 

And sometimes, the greatest return on an investment is seeing yesterday’s client become today’s champion for change. 

Korina found herself and her three daughters Jessica, Jideha, and Naomi homeless and completely overwhelmed. They had fled sexual abuse and left their home with nothing but their backpacks and Korina’s savings. Many of the shelters had no openings but they kept looking. Korina was able to find available space at the women’s transitional living shelter, however; it was a temporary solution because they could only stay a limited number of days. The shelter tried to assist Korina and their family with housing but they were unsuccessful. So once again they were without a place to go. Korina was using the money she had to stay in motels. They were homeless for five months. During this time, Korina fainted in her hotel room and was rushed to the hospital. Before this incident, Korina believed her lack of energy and physical weakness were solely due to the stress of being homeless, but at the hospital Korina was diagnosed with Leukemia. Through this incredibly difficult time, Korina never lost faith and in fact it was the only thing she had to hold on to.

Jadhhea, who was 12 at the time, suffers from diabetes and mental illness, and due to the nature of their departure, she ran out of insulin. They took her to urgent care and Jaddhea was connected to CHOC. Once a clinical worker discovered that Jaddhea had no address, CHOC, connected Jaddhea and the family to the Illumination Health and Home’s Plumeria House. This is a Family Emergency home for families who have children with disabilities. When they first arrived at the house, Korina was skeptical because her prior experiences with other organizations didn’t lead to her family’s safety. However, Korina noticed that Citlalli, the house manager, and Lorena, the intake manager were welcoming. Korina was amazed when she was shown the house and her living space. The worry of where her daughters were going to sleep the next day or the next week was eliminated. The staff told Korina that she was able to stay as long as she needed. The first night her daughters and Korina slept like babies.

While residing at the Plumeria House, the staff helped Korina acquire medical insurance, transportation to medical appointments, as well as child care. Her family was able to utilize the services provided including in-home counseling, case management and housing navigation. They were amazed by the array of programs offered including tutoring services like her Private Professor, literacy groups, Mini Med School, and more. Naomi, her youngest daughter, benefitted from the services and the stability that the home offered, which led to her graduating her last grade with reading honors! Furthermore Jessica, her oldest, became employed and a manager at a local wireless service provider. Korina felt truly supported by the network that Illumination Health and Home provided. Illumination Health and Home hosted events that made Korina feel like she was a part of a community and Korina recalls how it was helpful, during their journey, to see other families on the road to self-sufficiency.

After spending five months at the Plumeria House working to stabilize her family and working with her Housing Navigator to find housing, they were able to secure an apartment. On May 19th, Korina was handed the keys to her home. In Korina’s words “It was a surreal feeling, even to this day, when we’re out and about we can finally say let’s go home”. They are extremely grateful. She says how Illumination Health and Home is different from any other homeless organization because they said they would help and they did! Now that they’re in a place of their own they can continue to heal in a home that’s safe and full of love.

Leileen was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of 2. She learned to ride a bike in the hospital halls, and her first childhood friends were nurses and doctors working around the clock supporting her as she was in and out of countless rounds of chemotherapy. Leileen’s grandmother, Regina, never left her side even when Leileen’s mother found herself unable to support her. Regina was at every appointment she could make and by Leileen’s bedside for nearly 10 years. As soon as Leileen was in remission, Regina was able to take her back to her home in Anaheim. 

Tragedy struck grandmother and granddaughter again when Leileen was diagnosed with neurotoxicity from the immense toll chemotherapy took on her body. At the same time, Regina was suddenly removed from her home after a separation from her husband. However, Regina remained persistent and continued to work for Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) as a bus driver even through the pandemic. “I didn’t know where I was going or what I was going to do. It doesn’t matter if you have a job, when a crisis hits, it hits.” 

That’s when they found themselves in a motel, where Regina was scrambling for services to keep Leileen and herself afloat. Then a friend who worked in social services told her about Illumination Health and Home. After a couple of phone calls, Regina and Leileen had their motel costs covered and soon moved into Illumination Health and Home’s newest Family Emergency Shelter, Plumeria House in Anaheim. Plumeria House is designed specifically for children who have a chronic illness or a physical disability. 

Andrew Castillo, the Manager of Family Programs, weighs in “Our goal is to get families off the streets and into a safe place where they are able to work on their goals with their case manager and work towards finding permanent housing with a housing navigator.” Andrew was Regina and Leileen’s first point of contact when they moved into Plumeria House and reflects on what would have happened if this home was not an option for them. “Without Plumeria House, Regina and so many others like her would still be on the streets or living in motels.” 

Today, Regina and Leileen are still at Plumeria House and are on the journey to being housed. With the many services Illumination Health and Home offers, from financial literacy classes  to meeting with licensed therapists one-on-one, Illumination Health and Home’s goal is to support our clients and find sustainable solutions no matter their situation. This Holiday, there will be many families who are looking for support and hoping that 2022 will be the year they are able to turn their lives around. 

“I am so thankful for Illumination Health and Home because I had no idea where I was going,” Regina says, “I know that this is just my stepping stone.” 

Patricia first came to Illumination Health and Home with her mother, Brenda, and her one-year-old son, Jeremiah. Patricia was working full time when she lost her pension due to an error made by the VA, but her income alone was not enough to pay for the apartment, and they soon became homeless. After spending time in their car and motels, they found a place at Illumination Health and Home’s La Mesa Emergency Shelter and then were eventually transferred to Theriault House Family Emergency Shelter.

The entire time the family was in our shelters, Patricia worked hard at her job at UPS. Sometimes she would work 12–15-hour shifts, especially during the holidays. Jeremiah flourished while in our Children and Families Program. When he first came to our shelter, he wouldn’t leave his mother or grandmother’s side. Coming into our Parent and Me classes was a struggle. He would cry and scream for Grandma incessantly. When they arrived at Theriault House, Jeremiah was not speaking as much as he should have been for his age. Our staff utilized the Ages and Stages Questionnaire and found that he wasn’t meeting developmental milestones in three out of the five areas screened.

Jeremiah continued in our program and began to thrive. He is now talking in full sentences, happy to enter class to play with his friends and teachers, and he loves to sing “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” among many other tunes. Upon the family’s exit from the shelter, Jeremiah was meeting developmental milestones in all the areas screened.

Patricia’s benefits from the VA were finally reinstated, and she is still working full time at UPS. The family recently moved out of Theriault House into their own apartment, and they are thrilled. Illumination Health and Home helped the family find their new apartment and continue to work with them to ensure their continued success.

When Cynthia was younger, she witnessed her mother in an abusive relationship and always wondered why her mother simply didn’t leave. When Cynthia found herself in a similar situation in 2019, she knew she had a choice to make.

As Cynthia explains, “I can see why women stay. They often say to themselves, ‘I don’t have money, I don’t have this or that.’ And losing your finances is one thing, but losing yourself, leaving a damaging effect on your children, you can’t put a price on that.” Cynthia did what her mother couldn’t, and called 211 to find emergency placement. She landed at Illumination Health and Home amidst a global pandemic with little to her name.

“There’s no price that you can put on the memories that your kids will have [of you] and maybe they will forgive you, but it will still affect them and their future and I don’t think I could have dealt with myself and that’s why I decided to go to Illumination Health and Home.”

At Illumination Health and Home, Cynthia and her three children received housing assistance, therapy and support. IF also provides in-home visits to check on past clients, hear their situation and ensure they’re on track to securing finances on their own. We are building trusting relationships with every person who walks through our doors. We meet each client’s diverse needs deeper than just receiving keys.

Cynthia has a unique perspective on homelessness. “There’s a story behind what took place… especially in the times that we are living in, the rent is high and the pay is not great.” With this perspective, and her sharing her own story, she is teaching her children that homelessness is not just a single issue, but a series of circumstances that often require the wrap-around services which Illumination Health and Home provides for families to find long-term solutions.

Today, Cynthia is securely housed and focused on giving her children the opportunities they deserve. She is enrolled to go back to school to finish her degree in psychology as a single, working mother of three. “All I know is that I am healing from everything that has happened… so I think what the future looks like is me working on myself and being healthy so my kids can be healthy.”

Supporters of Illumination Health and Home are shaping lives like Cynthia’s every day. With the generosity of community partners and donors, together we have the opportunity to change the lives of future generations, their families and disrupt the cycle of homelessness.