Formerly Homeless Man Is Now Father And Police Officer

If you ask 33-year-old Lavelle Schaffer, he’ll tell you the growth he has made in his life is like a Hollywood story!

He found himself homeless, living on the streets of Chicago with his pregnant girlfriend 10 years ago, when “every day was like survival mode.” They spent more than a year surviving like that until one business card from one interaction with a representative of  Metropolitan Family Services at a shelter kick-started his new life. He got himself mental health counseling from that card, transportation vouchers, and classes in parenting and personal finance.

By 2019, he was a part of the Chicago Police Department as an officer.

“Ever since then, here I am,” he told ABC7.  “It’s 2024 and that one card kind of changed my whole life.” He is now a dad and hero to two sons who say they want to be just like him. 

“They’re looking up to me, and I read their paperwork at school: ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ And they say, ‘I want to be a police officer like my dad,’” Schaffer said.

He’s also earned Metropolitan Family Services’ “Father of the Year” title and joined the board, a role where he counsels other young dads.