VICTORVILLE — When Maribeth Knight talks about helping those in need, she does so with an unmistakable determination in her voice.

The co-founder of Helping Hands of the High Desert — a nonprofit started last year that aims to serve the homeless and those living in poverty — Knight doesn't devote her time and energy to those less fortunate out of a moral obligation or desire to feel better about herself.

For someone who found herself homeless and living on the streets just four years ago, the issue hits much, much closer to home.

“I don’t even know how I’m here, I should be dead,” said Knight, 26, of Victorville. “When I think back on what I’ve been through, I see myself now as two completely different people.”

Born and raised in Owensboro, Kentucky, Knight described her time growing up in the city as challenging due to certain family circumstances.

“It was intense, especially when my parents had gotten divorced," Knight said. "That’s when things started to fall apart.”

After moving out to begin a college career at Western Kentucky University, the lack of financial and family support saw Knight gravitate toward the “party scene.” She soon developed a drug addiction during her freshman year, became pregnant at 19 and was forced to make the difficult decision to drop out.

“I put myself in things that gave my mother no choice but to make me leave. At the time, she had no clue I was completely homeless,” Knight said. “I let my pride get in the way of telling anyone or finding help. I didn’t want to ask for it.”

With a newborn child in tow, Knight was on her own and facing a daunting situation.

As a single mother locked in “a constant battle” with nowhere to go, Knight jumped from home to home, asking friends and certain family members to provide shelter for the night. Doing her best to support her son, she spent the next few years working three jobs to make ends meet.

At one point, Knight said she spent two weeks living and sleeping inside a car.

“I worked at a daycare, I served at a restaurant and I helped my aunt and uncle with their cleaning company,” Knight said. “During that time in my life, I never slept and there were times I couldn’t even stand up on my own feet with how tired and fatigued I felt. It was very hard to look at my son knowing I'm not being the mother I should be to him. I tried my hardest to give him everything he needed."

Knight’s drug addiction became worse as she looked to numb the pain from previous sexual assaults she said she endured, as well as struggling with mental illness.

Almost three years into essentially being homeless, Knight said her mother reached out and took her back in to provide the help she needed. Slowly but surely, Knight started to regain control of her life again and began taking classes online through Grantham University in Kansas.

Eventually, Knight met her husband, Jason Knight, online and the two quickly formed a strong connection and moved to California.

"He pulled me out of a hell on earth and stayed by me and still stands by me to this day as I'm still trying to transition to the person I want to be," Knight said. "Once I got help, my mom has been the biggest support. She helped me when she shouldn't have and she's the reason I'm still here."

For this first time, Knight said she had someone who cared about her.

“No one really knows what had happened to me. My family didn’t know I’d been homeless and many are just finding out now,” Knight said. “Most people who I meet now and hear my story can’t believe some of the things I’ve been through. I have come a long way and I have God, my children and my husband to thank for that, and my mother who never gave up on me."

As the founders of Helping Hands of the High Desert, which they started in October with the aim of going out once a month to help those in poverty, Knight and her husband happily dedicate their time to help those in similar situations she’s endured through love and compassion.

“I don’t regret anything. I get sad at times but I don’t hate myself for it,” Knight said through teary eyes. “My world was flipped upside down, but I’m extremely grateful for my past experiences and tend to get emotional helping others because I know firsthand how they feel. I’m finally opening up about what happened in hopes of making a difference in someone’s life, even if it’s only that one person.”

Monica Solano can be reached at MSolano@VVDailyPress.com or at 760-951-6231. Follow her on Twitter @DP_MonicaInes