FROM A STABLE HOME TO SLEEPING ON THE STREETS | Willie's Story
“I was one of those people who would look at someone experiencing homelessness and judge them,” says Willie. “Then, all of a sudden, that’s exactly where I found myself.”
Looking back at Willie's childhood, you’d never expect an outgoing, accomplished kid like Willie to get sucked into the streets. But Willie’s dreams were shattered when he lost a college scholarship to an athletic injury.
“I started hanging out with the wrong people,” says Willie. “At the age of 17, I had basically tried everything for the first time — drugs, weed, girls, you name it.”
Feeling robbed of a promising future, Willie went from drinking on weekends to every day. Then drugs came on the scene. Throughout fatherhood, Willie managed to continue using while paying the bills. But one day, it caught up with him.
“It’s amazing how fast my world got flipped upside down,” he says. “In a matter of two weeks, I went from living in a three-bedroom, two-bath house to sleeping behind an abandoned building. I lost my job, my home, and my two children. I was literally stuck and homeless.”
Lost and alone...
For seven years, Willie lived in a fog of drugs and alcohol on the streets. “I saw things I don’t wish upon my worst enemy,” he says. “Violence. Drug overdoses. Rape. Starving people. I couldn’t see a future for myself other than the streets.”
Willie tried staying sober in his own strength, but it only lasted for so long. He was at the end of his rope and behind bars when he received a chance to come to CityTeam.
“I felt I had failed,” says Willie. “It wasn’t easy to look people in the eye. But CityTeam welcomed me.”
Renewed by God's love
Today, Willie is working full time, thriving in a sober living community, and reconciling with his family. “They’re ecstatic about the person I’ve become,” he says. “I don’t want to be remembered as Willie the gang member or Willie the homeless drug addict. I want to be remembered as Willie who loves others and lives like Christ.”
Because you give, Willie found everything he needed to achieve lasting stability and rebuild his life on a firm foundation. He feels Christ’s call on his life to help other men who are struggling like he once did.
“CityTeam gave me my life back.” says Willie.
“I’m thankful for what Christ did on the cross, for my sobriety, for CityTeam, and for generous donors,” he says. “Without supporters, I wouldn’t be the Willie I am today.”
