He was 13 years old and living behind a Dumpster.

That was the reality for one Valley teenager when we first met him a year ago.

We met Hans and his mother then and have been following their story ever since. They had no place to go and nobody to turn to until they met the people whom they call their guardian angels.

“We just slept where we slept,” Tracy Von Neuman said.

At night the Nuemans would curl up next to each other and take turns trying to sleep.

“It’s scary wondering what’s going to happen, wondering if we are ever going to get a place or food, a bed, a shower, something like that,” she said.

During the day, they panhandled for food. Hans describes what it’s like to be 13 years old and homeless.

“Like that I have some kind of disease or something,” he said.

But life wasn’t always like this.

Neuman was married to her husband for 25 years, but after he passed way, she had trouble making ends meet. They didn’t have any savings and they ended up being evicted from their home. Things spiraled out of control after that.

They’ve been in and out of shelters and temporary housing until now.

“It’s a miracle in the making,” she said.

The past few months have led to a dramatic turnaround for the Neumans. They now live in a two-bedroom apartment in Chandler.

“I do believe very much in God again," she said. "He's brought us back from being at the bottom of the barrel -- trying to claw your way up and you just can't do it.”

What do you do if you are homeless and penniless? A lot of people end up giving up or numbing themselves with drugs and alcohol.

Neuman was different. She searched for help and found it.

She met businessman Jon Katov and real estate agent Ann Schude.

“We think that homelessness and poverty are forms of slavery,” Katov said. People who are homeless are thrown into isolation, isolation in a shelter, isolation in society, nobody around you, no family, no friends, nobody to encourage you to help you make your decisions or even that you can ask a question of.”

These people are determined to change lives one person at a time.

“I call them my guardian angels for a reason,” Neuman said, “because they literally saved my life and my son’s.”

They are part of a faith-based nonprofit group called Open Table, which started in the Valley about two years ago and has spread nationwide.

But the organization doesn’t help just anyone. They do drug testing, a criminal background check and a psychological profile. Katov said they look for people who want to help themselves.

Then, the professionals pool their resources – but not money. They pool other resources to try to come up with a game plane. For Neuman, the first step was qualifying her for an apartment she could afford on a fixed income.

Next, the attention turned to Hans and getting him back into school. This year, he’s in the eighth grade.

Hans thinks about how lucky he is to have the basics.

Last year, he was sleeping outside on the ground. Now he has a room of his own.

He’s slowly decorating with family photos.

His favorite posters include a sign that says "God loves you."

“I don't feel like I'm homeless anymore. I feel like a regular kid living a regular life,” he said.

Hans turns 14 years old today.