Chazark’s Declassified Homeless Survival Guide

Former Nickelodeon child star who played a supporting character in Ned’s Classified Survival Guide is being featured all over Instagram as homeless, struggling with substance abuse and mental-health challenges. Some people took selfies with him, some offered help, and some comments even suggested forcing him into treatment or an intervention. Nobody really knows what’s going on with him until he suddenly became a “celebrity homeless” figure overnight during Christmas week.

I was an extreme Nickelodeon fan myself back in my 1990s childhood years. I used to watch TV after school almost every day — until my mom decided to cut off the cable.

I didn’t watch much TV during my time at FSDB from 1996 to 2003, because dorm life meant everyone competed over what to watch. I wasn’t interested in arguing over TV — I’d already dealt with enough bullying, so I just kept to myself and was fine with that.

I started watching more TV again in the early 2000s, but mostly Disney Channel when I was at Gardner-Webb University.

Now, 20 years later, I don’t really follow most of them anymore — except Orlando Brown’s new restaurant in Chandler. I’d actually like to eat there next time I’m in Chandler.

Point is, I’m not obsessed with tracking every kid’s post-Nickelodeon or Disney Channel life or downfall. I grew up, life moved on… and cable is still expensive anyway.

I’m not saying I shrug off former TV child stars who ended up having troubled adult lives. Life happens. Being in the spotlight doesn’t guarantee a bright future.

I was never involved in the Hollywood business at all. Yes, I was active in Drama Club at FSDB and at Gardner-Webb University, but that world was very far from Hollywood. I honestly had no idea what it was like to be a Hollywood child poster.

What I did know was being a church child poster — the kid with “potential.” I was on the spotlight in the church world, known as a future pastor or someone who could become the Deaf version of T.D. Jakes. I got involved in ministry at 13 years old.

Then life after dropping out of college changed everything. From being a 13-year-old church poster kid to surviving homelessness three times as an adult — yeah, life can happen fast.

Homeless? Yes, I was.

I didn’t have a place to stay when I moved to Arizona in 2007. I stayed at the Salvation Army the whole fall and finally found an apartment in November 2007.

Seven years later, I voluntarily let go of that apartment and lived in a PT Cruiser for five years. The car was paid off — that was the only real accomplishment. Looking back, I wish I had redirected more of my Goodwill earnings into investments while I was living in the PT Cruiser.

Honestly, I didn’t feel homeless during those years because I had a full-time job and a car to survive.

The third time being homeless was the worst, not the first. That time, I had a child depending on me and no real backup support system. That was a hard lesson: you can’t rely on everyone 100% for childcare.

What I learned from all three homeless phases is this: not all homeless people struggle with mental health or live troubled lifestyles. Some people are homeless by circumstance, some by choice, and some simply see it as a way of life.

Yes, I understand being homeless may not be ideal for some people. You know one thing that never happened to me while I was homeless — and I’m honestly glad it didn’t? Nobody harassed me. Nobody took selfies with me.

Honestly, if people had pushed me around or treated me like some kind of spectacle, I don’t think I’d be in a good place today.

So people who harassed this guy out of pity or for clout didn’t do him any good. I’m pretty sure he already knows about the resources out there. For reasons we don’t know, he simply chose not to pursue them.

Before I finish this blog, I want to share a true story about what I did on Christmas Day, December 25, 2025. I was riding my scooter around University Blvd and Park Ave, heading to pick up my son at his mom’s house. Almost everything was closed for Christmas except Kababeque Indian Grill and CVS.

There was a homeless-looking man sitting on a chair outside near Kababeque. He spoke to me, but I’m Deaf, so I couldn’t hear him. I also didn’t have time for a conversation, so I kept scootering.

While riding, I started thinking about him. Since it was Christmas Day, and as a former homeless survivor and a 40-year-old single dad, I thought to myself, “I could be in that position again 20 years from now.”

So I turned back, went to him, and asked in hand gestures if he wanted to eat. We walked into Kababeque together, and I ordered a meal for him. The meal was $15. We shook hands, and I left.

No selfies. No Instagram posts. No clout. No phone number exchange. And I’m glad I took the opportunity to help him in private, without any social media validation.

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