“We’re better than ever”
Alex, Kortney, and their three boys decided to move to Asheville from Central Florida after Alex was offered a lead role in an upcoming solar farm. Even though Kortney was an established teacher and their children were surrounded by their friends, they all decided to support Alex’s new venture and create a new home in North Carolina together.
In March 2023, Alex and Kortney quit their jobs, sold their larger items, packed their cars with everything else, and started their drive North. But the drive was more complicated than they thought, and before they left Florida, Alex’s car lost two tires and its catalytic converter began having serious problems. Alex joked, “I’m convinced Florida is like the Twilight Zone and didn’t want us to leave.”
Eventually, they replaced his car’s tires and made it to their temporary home at an Airbnb in Waynesville. Knowing how much rental homes can cost, they only planned to stay for a few weeks while Alex’s job started up and they searched for a home.
Unfortunately, after several weeks of no updates, Alex was informed his new company had lost the contract in Asheville and would no longer be doing business in the city at all. Alex was distraught and explained to them, “I just took a leap of faith to move here and work with you guys.” The company replied, “Too bad. It didn’t work out for us, hope it works out for you.”
Even though his job stability fell through, Alex thought things might still be okay. They had a little bit of savings, and he was confident he’d find a job in time. However, things took another turn for the worse. Two weeks into April, Alex and his family were told they needed to leave their Airbnb early. The owner had a family emergency and needed the home.
“We had to jump from Airbnb to Airbnb, which anyone who’s stayed in a rental in Asheville knows that’s not an economic thing to do, and it tore into our savings. Moving here with three boys and a dog put us back at the beginning of everything we built in the past 11 years.” Alex explained their longest stay at an Airbnb was 13 days and cost them $2,000.
Alex is an incredibly dedicated and proactive person. In January 2015, he joined the Air Force and served for 6 years as a structural engineer in the Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers, (known as the Red Horse Squadron) and later served in the Air National Guard in Georgia, North Carolina, and Texas. He’s also a father who would do anything to care for his family. For weeks, he grappled with the disappointment of letting his family down.
“Anyone experiencing homelessness shares a set of emotional distresses.” Says Alex. “But when you’re doing it with a family and you have worked your butt off for things not to happen and things happen, that emotional distress jumps another level. When we were going through those tough times, my personality was getting tough to deal with, for everybody; my wife, my kids, and my oldest son who still lived in Florida. The situation was causing a lot of conflict.”
After exhausting all of their resources, Kortney and Alex reached out to Homeward Bound in May 2023. Two days later, Alex was approved for the Supportive Services for Veteran Families program and was connected with his Case Manager at the time, Kristin. There, he found a beacon of hope.
“In my 49 years of life, contacting Homeward Bound has been one of my best decisions in life.” Says Alex, “They jumped on business and knew we were at the end of our resources. Within 48 hours, we were placed in a Super 8 while we waited for housing. I was grateful to have a place in the process, but we were worried about starting all over again.”
Alex and Homeward Bound both knew a hotel wasn’t the most ideal place for a family of his size, and Alex wanted to know how he could help speed up the process. He wanted to help look for homes on his own.
In June 2023, Alex began reaching out to local Airbnb owners to see if they’d agree to a long-term rental agreement. After a few no’s and no responses, Alex remained determined and eventually found an owner willing to agree to the proposal with zero hesitation. Homeward Bound’s Housing Team worked with the owner to create a custom rental agreement, and by July 2023—less than three months after Alex first contacted Homeward Bound—he and his family moved into a beautiful home near Leicester, NC.
Alex explained “I had so much negative energy in me, I didn’t react well to the amount of stress my family was dealing with. My oldest son and I’s relationship was strained. We were slowly sailing apart. My wife and I even talked about going our separate ways. Homeward Bound saved my relationship with my son and definitely played a part in saving my marriage.”
Over a year later, Alex and Kortney say they’re better than they’ve ever been. In the same month as their move-in, Alex landed a job as a solar technician with a better company with coworkers and bosses he considers good friends. Kortney now works at a middle school in Asheville and says she’s in love with her teaching more than ever. They’re grateful their children are growing up in a more holistic environment and are excited to become “Ashevillians.” In fact, they love their home so much that they’re now exploring the possibility of buying it from the owner.
“We really try to do things on our own, use our own resources to make things happen.” Says Kortney. “Unfortunately, life throws things at you, especially now with the world we live in. Even though we are two hardworking people who never quit and are constantly trying to be successful and work hard, we still have those bumps in the road.”
Alex and Kortney are incredibly thankful for the support of Homeward Bound and their former and current case managers, Kristin and Kat. Alex says that while the process was difficult, it strengthened his family’s bond, and he couldn’t ask for anything more.
