Q
people that they have something
to look forward to. I always felt
Was it surprising to you when
something for the homeless, but
you became homeless?
when it happened to me, it just
made me love it and want to do it
Yea, it was surprising. Because more and help others.
my landlord and I had been close.
My father started me working
Do you think of yourself as
in construction when I was very
homeless?
young, so carpentry is my thing.
My landlord taught me how to
build things. He took to me like
You know, I’ve been working
a son because I moved in when
since I was 15. I joined the army
I was young. I see a lot more
and was in the 82nd Airborne, so
homeless people on the street
I get a pension from the VA, and
now than I did. I never thought
that’s decent money. That makes
I would become homeless. But
me feel secure. So I don’t think
I had a sense of what that life
of myself as homeless. I don’t
was like, because of the charity
wake up every morning thinking
work I was doing when I was still
about being homeless. I say, ‘Oh
in my apartment. When I became
God, just help me with something
homeless myself, I saw the true
today that I need. You know what
story. And I’ll say, it’s a good
I need.’ I think some people don’t
thing because when you have a
think in those terms. They don’t
hands-on experience, it gives you
have too much confidence in the
a clearer mind of what’s going
system. I try to carry myself as
on. You know, I never want to
a leader. I wish I wasn’t in this
see anybody homeless. I never
situation, but, I mean, I’m in it.
thought I would be homeless, but
So I’m not going to drill on that
I think God wanted me to see a
now. I don’t point fingers, I don’t
little clearer how it really is. When
drill on it. What I do is say, ‘Do
you’re in it — you put your hands
something about it.’ And that’s
in it — you learn more about it.
what I do.
Now, I want to build something
that homeless people could
benefit from. You’ve got to show
How did you begin dreaming
about helping to create homes
for the homeless?
felt something for
A
Q
A
Q
“I always
the homeless, but when it
happened to me, it just made
me love it and want to do
it more and help others.”
10 · SPRING 2018
A
I’ve always been an organizer,
a
planner,
because
my
grandmother was an organizer.
I want to do this for her. My
grandmother was very Christian.
She always made sure I went to
church. I used to watch her when
I was young, giving the homeless
change, bringing them food. I
was like, ‘Grandma, where are
you taking that food? That’s my
lunch!’ She’d say, ‘Your lunch?
You ate your lunch. That’s for
somebody else in need.’ She just
put all that in my heart.
I tell everybody, ‘There’s
nothing wrong with picking up
a pen or a pencil and making
a plan.’ If you write one thing
down a night, that’s a plan. This
predicament I’m in now, I just
want to show myself and God,
and the people that I’m trying to
help, that it can be done. I want
people in similar situations to
see, ‘Oh, he did it and he told me
about it.’ And my experience will
make it better for them, because
I can say, ‘I’m going to make sure
you have the help you need.’
Q
Do you think God cares about
homelessness?
A
I really do. I think he does. You
know, I think people don’t believe
in God the way they should. A lot
of people now say, “If God cares
about me, why am I like this?”
But I think you’ve got to give God
time. He might not come when
you want him to, but believe me,
he’ll be there. I believe that. I
pray every night before my feet
hit the floor. I really believe that
homelessness is a priority God
wants to take care of. But he
need us. He need us.
Listen, my kids, they love me