“No longer rootless”
We shared Matthew’s story three years ago in September 2022. At the time, Matthew’s life had changed after years of living on the streets and struggling with addiction, health issues, and legal trouble. Matthew felt, and still feels, housing is the best thing you could do for people like him.
One year later, Matthew had to move out of his home because of a disagreement with his previous landlord. Although hesitant and frustrated, Matthew agreed to move to a trailer in Swannanoa once he saw the potential in the backyard space. As a carpenter, antique art dealer, and someone who feels that work makes him a man, Matthew began transforming his trailer into a home for himself.
Even though he struggles with disabilities, Matthew kept a busy life. He says he always had something to do when he woke up. He’d spend time with his neighbors, trim his bushes, pick basil from his garden, and create intricate art from of old junk he’d find. Coming from a construction background in New York, Matthew built a little shop to store tools and work on his projects and hobbies.
Some of his biggest accomplishments included a deck, an outdoor fire pit with a compass, and a water fountain built from an old steel anvil. His final goal was to finish restoring a car and motorcycle, regain his driver’s license, and finally be able to drive himself around again. He’d set money aside to build the life he wanted at every opportunity.
Matthew, who’s now 62, felt proud of how far he had come, and although he says his past made him who he is, he was ready to leave some memories behind.
“I was close to being out of the homeless community, or even mentioning being homeless,” he shared. “I could say I was somebody. I was part of the system. I’m locked in a neighborhood. I’m no longer rootless. Rootless is a big word with me because I’ve been rootless all my life since I left New York.”
Matthew’s Case Manager, Nate, was confident Matthew was on his way toward graduating from Permanent Supportive Housing. Nate encouraged us to schedule a video interview with Matthew, where he could show off how far his life had turned around. Unknowingly, I scheduled to meet with him the same day Hurricane Helene was expected to hit Western North Carolina.
At 7:15, the morning of the storm, Matthew was shocked to see water inside his home and a rescue team arrive outside in a Swift Boat. He told them to get his neighbors first, but they were adamant he needed to leave immediately.
“There I was again with a backpack,” he shared. “I didn’t grab the things I should have grabbed. It took me years to put my life back to where it was 10 years ago. It took 15 minutes to wipe it all away. No matter how hard I do this, no matter what I do, I’m back to a backpack, sleeping on the street.”
Matthew was displaced for two months. After a night staying at the Agricultural Center, Matthew searched for an available hotel room in Asheville so he could be close to his home and doctors, but was repeatedly told all the rooms were booked. He was worried and couldn’t contact anyone. He figured it was better to sleep on the streets for a few nights before going home to see what he could salvage.
“I could tell by the flooring; all the walls were gone; all my artwork is gone.” he shared as he scrolled through photos of his home. “I figured something somewhere would be close by.” The car he was restoring was 500 yards away underneath someone else’s home. His tools were scattered, some taken the next day by looters. Matthew hoped to at least find his Surrealist Angel, a statue from Salvador Dali that’s one out of 500. “Nothing. I couldn’t find anything.”
FEMA gave Matthew $7,500 to cover some losses but denied to reimburse any of his other items including his tools. At that moment, Matthew felt like he had no control over his life, especially when his expenses began to rack up from living in hotel rooms, having to eat out, and replacing things more valuable than their price tag.
“Every time I go into a shop, I think of the Movie Joe Versus the Volcano,” he shared. ‘There’s a scene where Tom Hanks goes to shop for clothes and a guy says to him ‘If you don’t know what kind of clothes you want, how can you know what kind of man you are? A man’s clothing describes what he is.’ And for years as a homeless person, my clothes have always been green, black, brown, dark colors, and dark pants with a backpack.”
Matthew was re-housed in November 2024, although he expressed dissatisfaction. It’s a basement apartment, and he doesn’t have the space or a backyard to work on big projects. Losing everything after years of rebuilding has left him unsure about setting future goals. He cares about independence but feels restricted in an increasingly expensive world.
He says, “I’m just a limited man, and I have no control over anything. I have the experience to run [construction project management] jobs, but I don’t have the mindset anymore. I don’t have the patience anymore, and I certainly don’t have the body anymore.”
During our interview, there were glaring moments where Matthew seemed to contradict his self-doubt. His attitude was hopeful as he showed me new artwork he was working on and vintage furniture pieces he was refinishing. He built shelves to hold crystals, rocks, and statues. His walls had new posters and paintings. On his fridge hung a picture of a river ferry, and when asked about it, he said it was a “subliminal” message, manifesting a future where he might one day travel by himself.
When asked what keeps him going, despite everything he’s been through, Matthew says, “It’s because the people at Homeward Bound care about me. They made me realize people care about me. If I give up on myself, then I’ll have let people down I like a lot. Homelessness is a rabbit hole and Homeward Bound is there for a reason. If you get one person out of ten people out of homelessness, you’re a good organization. If you can keep that person out of homelessness, like me, then that’s a good break.”
With the help of his Case Manager and Housing Specialist, Matthew intends to find a new place once his year lease is finished, somewhere with a backyard and enough space for a dog. He still wants to regain his driver’s license. He’s grateful for his stability, but he’s honest about his wishes for the future. If Matthew’s certain about anything, it’s that he’s never wanted to just “exist” or “survive” in life. He wants to live.
“Compass Point” by Katie Damien
Angry Unicorn Entertainment: A Katie Damien Documentary produced in association with Homeward Bound
Program Spotlight: Civilian Rapid Rehousing/HACA Program
The Civilian Rapid Rehousing/HACA Program provides short-term rental assistance and supportive case management services to people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Unlike Permanent Supportive Housing, which provides long-term assistance, the goal of Rapid Rehousing (RRH) is to help community members secure housing quickly, stabilize, and increase their ability to maintain housing independently. Homeward Bound can provide rental assistance for up to two years, but many clients successfully graduate from the program within 6 to 12 months of entry.
The main point of entry for our Civilian Rapid Rehousing Program is the AHOPE Day Center. We also have a Rapid Rehousing Program for Veterans through our Supportive Services for Veteran Families Program. Non-veterans experiencing homelessness meet with our Coordinated Entry team at AHOPE, who identify their situation and current needs. In other cases, individuals and families have entered the program through referrals from the Coordinated Assessment Meeting, where housing and shelter service providers in Buncombe County meet with Asheville’s Homelessness Strategy Division.
Together, they determine which program best fits a person’s needs and history of homelessness, such as RRH. This collaboration allows us to increase our level of outreach and house people currently supported by other non-profits, including Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministries (ABCCM), Salvation Army, Safe Shelter, and Eliada Homes.
“We’ve helped a lot of people through small and major circumstances that could evict them and force them back to homelessness,” shares RRH/HACA Program Manager Amanda Thomas. “They have income or the potential to earn income; they just need that extra support. Having our folks prioritized is pretty critical.”
Currently, Amanda’s team includes one Civilian Rapid Rehousing Case Manager and two HACA Case Managers. Together, the program supports 45 clients living in homes managed by private landlords or the Housing Authority of the City of Asheville (HACA). Case management often involves addressing barriers that might seem small but have a huge impact, such as helping clients struggling with literacy complete applications or rental assistance forms, or assisting a parent who works day labor jobs and isn’t able to show proof of regular income. Other times, the team collaborates with community partners like Pisgah Legal Services to prevent disastrous situations, such as an eviction order, which can impact and limit a person’s housing opportunities for more than seven years.
While meeting, the team shared two stories of clients they assisted in the last year. One client, who was already housed, received an eviction notice after missing the deadline to submit an important annual recertification form required by HACA. Facing homelessness again, she informed her Case Manager, Nicholas, who connected her with Pisgah Legal Services’ Homelessness Prevention team. Pisgah Legal, which is experienced in tenant rights and discrimination cases, resolved the eviction in court, enabling Nicholas’s client to remain housed. When the next annual recertification form was due, Nicholas’ client submitted it on time and was stable enough to continue paying her rent.
Another client had been living in her car while working full-time as a Certified Nurse Assistant. She regularly checked into AHOPE until she became eligible for the program. Our RRH Housing Specialist, Sara, found her a home, and six months later, she was stable, consistently paying her rent, and successfully graduated from the program.
Thanks to the dedication of our staff, partners, and supporters like you, Homeward Bound’s RRH/HACA Program continues to help people get back on their feet. YOU are the key to preventing and ending homelessness.
“You built me a castle.”
James was living in Florida when COVID hit and he lost the ability to keep a roof over his head. His mother had passed away the year before, and without any nearby friends or family, he moved back to his home city of Detroit to stay with a friend. However, just a week later, his friend decided the lockdown and stay-at-home mandates were too difficult and left town, leaving James to continue his search for a stable home.
“That was the start of searching for places to stay where I didn’t have to walk or move through quickly enough to avoid being noticed,” James shared. “Nobody wants to see you standing around in front of their place. I learned how to move quick.” Like many experiencing homelessness, the fear of being kicked out or arrested constantly loomed while stopping to rest or sit down.
Attempts to stay with a girlfriend in Detroit and later with his aunt in Tennessee proved unsuccessful, leaving James uncertain what he was trying to accomplish or how to move forward. As someone who deeply values perseverance, he couldn’t accept the idea of getting on disability and living in an unfamiliar apartment complex surrounded by strangers. He felt stuck.
For six months, he lived in an abandoned building in Johnson City, Tennessee, dealing with the new thoughts and feelings that emerged from his mother’s passing.
“I still thought I had some progression in my life,” he expressed. “When my mother passed away, it felt as if she released these things she was holding onto. I was fortunate enough to gain a lot of knowledge from that.”
Seeking change, James decided to keep traveling and pursue sobriety, enrolling in a year-long rehab program in Brevard, NC. However, the program wasn’t what he expected, and the challenges overwhelmed him. He ended up homeless on the streets of Brevard, using alcohol to cope. Four days later, James was arrested and jailed for a month before the city decided he’d be better off elsewhere. The city drove him to Asheville, leaving him at the airport with two things: $5 and a short piece of advice,
“Find 19 North Ann and you’ll be okay.” The address of the AHOPE Day Center.
James spent the $5 on Dunkin’ Donuts and coffee before making his way toward AHOPE. He stopped along the way on Tunnel Road at the former Ramada Inn to ask for food, shelter, and resources.
“When you’re homeless and land in a new area,” he said, “you ask, ‘What does everybody do? Where does everybody go?’ You find out where all the resources are.”
It was the end of 2020, marking the start of another chapter in another new city. This time, James was on his way toward a real place he could call home.
Once he secured his North Carolina ID, James was approved for Permanent Supportive Housing. His perseverance finally paid off when he became one of the first residents of Compass Point Village in October 2023.
Over a year later, James has embraced the opportunity to grow, build a family, and learn how to communicate. His empathy and understanding of others is abundantly clear to anyone who knows him. When another resident had a tough day, James gathered a few dollars to buy him a milkshake from Cookout. When his case manager, Abby, took time off to handle personal matters, he expressed hope that things would work out for her. James says he’s someone who’ll give up to half of what he has to make anyone’s situation better. Sometimes, he jokes, he gives too much—whether it’s the last of his sugar or his patience.
He’s also learned to take the time to care for himself and not dwell on difficult situations. He enjoys staying busy, listening to music, and collecting interesting items with stories behind them, including a river stone with a face-shaped surface he found at Compass Point Village. When he saw the face from his window, he said “I’m going to give that guy a home!”
When asked about the future, James says, “I want to maintain my home, my family, and my friends who live here. I want this place to be okay. For us to be all alright. You built me a castle and it runs itself. We’re still going to be as taken care of tomorrow as we are today.”
Meal Partners
The U.S. Census Bureau reports that 10.4 million Americans spend half or more of their income on housing, forcing them to choose between shelter, food, and other basic needs. For those experiencing homelessness, these choices become even more difficult. Hunger and homelessness often intensify one another, creating a cycle of physical and emotional challenges.
Organizations like Food Connection, Equal Plates Project, and World Central Kitchen are working to change that, and we witness their impact every day.
Food Connection believes access to nutritious food is a human right. Their mission to rescue surplus food, repack it into meals, and distribute it to the farthest reaches of our community is integral to fighting food insecurity in WNC. Our AHOPE Day Center wouldn’t be able to serve our unhoused neighbors as effectively without their tireless support.
Equal Plates Project believes in a connected community where local farmers thrive by providing healthy, accessible meals to everyone, regardless of barriers. Since October 2023, they have included our community’s most vulnerable members by providing daily meals to Compass Point Village. On top of that, their team is committed to building genuine relationships with our residents.
World Central Kitchen also understands the profound role food plays in restoring hope. After Hurricane Helene struck and Western North Carolina faced power and water outages, they immediately stepped in to coordinate daily meal deliveries to Compass Point Village, ensuring that hope remained alive for all.
Thank you for standing with us as we continue the fight to end hunger AND homelessness together. Learn more about how hunger and homeless intertwine here.
