Billy
Billy was homeless for twenty years after being born and raised in Asheville. His homelessness began when a family member passed away, causing him to lose his home. While on the street, Billy experienced trauma, and the only way he knew to stay safe was to become angry and fight. He became a regular client at our AHOPE Day Center.
Billy was housed through Homeward Bound first at the Woodfin apartment program in 2016, designed to serve our most vulnerable chronically homeless clients. Here, he began working with his case manager, Ryan, to deal with community living and coping mechanisms after being outside for so long. As both Billy and the staff continued to struggle with his behavior in this setting, the case management team determined Billy would benefit more in his own space, and we found Billy a mobile home along the Swannanoa River.
In his new home, Billy began to thrive. “Billy was great about his place, kept it super clean and was responsible about paying his bills. He was very respectful to us and his neighbors and appreciative of our services”, says Ryan. Billy found stability there for over four years.
So what do you do when the same river that brought peace becomes one that brings devastation?
When the recent Helene storm hit Western North Carolina, Billy was in the line of impact. “I stayed in the house till the bitter end. I saw my porch detach from my house and watched my favorite TV and race bike that was gifted to me float down the river from my hallway.” Billy had to climb a tree to escape flood waters and stayed there for over six hours before he landed in the water and was saved by a neighbor who saw him struggling to hold onto debris.
Despite this recent traumatic experience, Billy resorts to the resiliency strategies he’s learned from his Homeward Bound case management team over the years to stay positive and focused on the future possibilities available to him. “I used to be a very angry person. Now, I’m really laid back.”
Billy is a two-time cancer survivor and is now undergoing treatment again. “After running into all his health issues, the fact that he’s in his 50s and is now still alive is humbling for him”, says Ryan. Billy’s journey is a true testament that housing is healthcare, and that even after finding stability for so many years, everything can change in an instant due to circumstances outside our control.
Update on Billy: 12/23/24
When we chose Billy’s story as the face of our end-of-year campaign, we knew it represented just one of hundreds of similar experiences shared across Western North Carolina. Looking back, we remember the day our case managers received the incredible news that Billy was alive after three days of thinking he didn’t survive the storm. Three months later, thanks to your compassion and support, Billy was rehoused in December 2024.
Three weeks after move-in day, Billy is settled in and loves his new home. He enjoys his neighbors, appreciates the proximity to his cancer treatment center, and has begun replacing cherished items he lost during the storm, including his moped, baseball caps, and fishing rods. He is also thankful for his Case Manager, Noah, and our Welcome Home Donation Center Coordinator, Terry, for helping him replace his TV and entertainment center.
Update: 3/26/25
We’re proud to say that thanks to your support, we’ve found new homes for ten of our displaced neighbors (with the eleventh moving out of WNC).
We couldn’t do this without you. Thank you for being the KEY to ending homelessness.
