In 1984, homelessness was still a new word in the American lexicon. As a recent graduate student, I began a position in Newark, New Jersey to help create a shelter for homeless families. Children had become a rising demographic in the numbers of homeless men, women and children in our inner cities. This book recounts my experience in helping to build a program that would serve the many needs of families in what was then considered one of the poorest and most dangerous cities in the United States. The book is also the story of the families who found themselves seeking shelter at the Apostles' House during the first year of its operation. I have changed names and circumstances to protect identities of people I am no longer able to contact, though each is based on experience with real individuals living through very difficult circumstances. In addition, Apostles' House is the story of the destruction of low-income housing in Newark, and by extension throughout the United States. A major reason for the homeless crisis can be reduced to this very simple reality. Low-income housing is disappearing, and what remains is becoming prohibitively expensive. The Rev. Eric T. Moore Duff is an Episcopal Priest and licensed clinical social worker. He resides in northern California. He received a Commendation from the Newark Municipal Council in 1988 for his contributions to the city.