Teig Hogan remembers a tough life on the streets just two years ago.

Hogan says, "I was down and out on my luck and I jumped off the freight trains and I wound up here."

Now things are turning around, thanks to the efforts made by people at Our Community Place in Harrisonburg.

Hogan adds, "I didn't have anything when I came here and these people just networked me and got me in the right situations. They really pulled me off the street."

Ron Copeland is the man behind the center that offers anybody in the community a warm meal and a place to stay.

Copeland says, "We have a regular daily life here and anyone can be apart of it. It's kind of a miracle."

Hogan says Copeland is a big part of why he's living a completely different life these days.

He says, "I come in here, Ron goes, 'Teig, you can do this and you can do that and help me do this,' and that made me more confident."

The center is completely funded by the community and volunteers such as Sigi Chabrier are proud of that fact.

Chabrier says, "Today it's a reality, and it's a beautiful reality. And the best thing about this place is that it's ours."

Copeland adds, "It's almost like a different kind of economy emerging. We can eat together and share resources and use this three-quarters of an acre to have fun and learn things."

Hogan says he hopes more and more people in need of help can get a chance to turn around their lives as well.

He adds, "They've given me things to do, utilized my talents and I just really love this place and I would do anything for it."