A Family’s Path To Healing
From Homelessness to Home: Meet The Dye Family
Since our inception in 2019, Furnish Hope has helped furnish over 3,000 households, partnering with local agencies to walk alongside individuals and families seeking a fresh start. This is the story of one of those families - Mike and Sharon Dye and their three boys. It is a story marked by addiction and homelessness, but ultimately defined by renewal, second chances and hope.
This story reminds us of the hope that is possible when people in our community choose to lean in, offer support without judgment and remind one another of their inherent value and worth.
“It’s not a hand out. It’s more of a hands up, a helping hand from the community…having pure faith in someone to do the right thing and fix themselves is unbelievable; it’s the real definition of hope.”
An Unimaginable Journey
Both Mike and Sharon grew up surrounded by addiction and instability. At very young ages, they were exposed to drugs and alcohol by their own parents, setting them on unimaginable paths they never chose. At just 13, Mike was introduced to heroin by his mother. His life spiraled, and after leaving school in sixth grade, he spent more than a decade in the state penitentiary, beginning at age 18.
After his release, Mike and Sharon reconnected and welcomed their first son, Anthony, followed by two more boys. They longed to build a different life for their family, but the pull of addiction remained powerful. For the next decade, the challenging cycle of drugs, poverty and homelessness eventually led them to rock bottom.
Rock Bottom in the Woods
In 2020, the family was living in an RV in the woods outside La Pine. Their situation worsened until the five of them were sleeping in a four-door sedan, battling hunger and cold winter temperatures. Anthony resorted to stealing bread from a nearby gas station so his younger brothers could eat. They were barely surviving.
“Every day was a struggle to survive and just get to the next day. No one should have to do that alone.”
A Child’s Courage
One day, Anthony - still just a boy - confronted his parents and told them that if they didn’t get clean, he and his brothers would go into foster care. Anthony’s courage became the turning point.
That night, intending to end his life, Mike went into the woods and cried out for help and for his addiction to be taken from him. In that moment, everything shifted. He felt released from the grip of addiction and the life he had known since he was 13 years old.
An Angel on the Other End of the Phone
With nothing to lose, Mike and Sharon called a number they had previously been given for help. “The voice of an angel picked up,” Mike recalls. That voice belonged to Ranae Staley. She had planned only to deliver food, but when she saw their situation, compassion took over. She loaded the family and their two dogs into her car, brought them to Bend, rented them a hotel room, and gave them their first experience of safety and warmth in years.
Through a series of miracles and caring people, the Dye family soon found a rental home and were connected with Furnish Hope. Our team and volunteers furnished their space with warmth, dignity and love. It became a place where healing could truly begin - and just in time for Christmas.
“Today, I have a beautiful life. I’ve been clean and sober for five years. My kids have a roof over their heads. My wife is happy. My kids are happy. Good things are happening just by that one little sliver of hope that we were shown.”
“It’s Been Just A Huge Change”
At last month’s Catwalk for a Cause event, Anthony - now 19 - shared his family’s story with honesty, courage and maturity. Like many young adults, he has big dreams for himself and his family, and he is determined to see them them through.
“Our life has not been easy, but every day we have more and more hope thanks to our community. The way our lives are moving now: that’s where the hope comes from.”
