Author: Joe Hart

Today, we would like to share the story of Norma, a resident who moved from the streets into housing in October 2023. Norma’s journey from a sleeping bag on the sidewalk to a home at Compass Point Village is a testament to the transformative nature of supportive housing and community support.

Norma’s life took a tragic turn in 1992 when her daughter was murdered. The pain of that tremendous loss led her to drug use. As a result, she lost her house and her support system. She also distanced herself from her other five children in an attempt to protect them from her lifestyle. She used drugs to numb the pain of what felt like one loss after another. After years of life on the streets, Norma’s health was deteriorating. She was in and out of the hospital several times before it was determined that she needed heart surgery. The doctors told Norma “your heart valves are not pumping, you should be dead.” Despite Norma’s complicated and often painful life, her faith remained unshaken. She made a promise to God that if she survived her heart surgery, she would stay substance-free. True to her word, she woke from surgery with a smile on her face and has remained clean since.

Norma’s path to housing began at Homeward Bound’s AHOPE Day Center when she enrolled in the Coordinated Entry process and it was determined Compass Point Village was the best housing intervention for Norma’s individual needs.

“I’m just grateful, SO GRATEFUL, that Compass Point Village chose me to be a resident.”

Norma thinks Compass Point Village is “a beautiful place” and “everybody here will help you in any way they can.” Norma believes in giving back to the community she now calls home. She wants her new neighbors to know “when they are down, I want to give them a laugh, when they need to talk, I got ears to hear.” Norma’s Case Manager, Erin, has been instrumental to her success, providing assistance with food, medicines, and doctor’s appointments. Norma describes Erin as sweet, kind, and always ready to help.

Norma’s journey home is a powerful reminder of the profound impact safe, stable housing can have for individuals experiencing homelessness. In housing, Norma has found community, support, wellness, and more.

After a life of serving others, Steve has reached a point where nothing fazes him anymore. His experiences in high school, service in the Air Force, and 24-year career in psychiatric nursing prepared him for a peaceful retirement where he could live life at his own pace.

Steve wasn’t yet eligible for retirement benefits, so he took on simple jobs to meet his basic needs. He never expected a job promotion to threaten his future.

“I was offered a management position at a pizza joint, and I accepted it, not thinking things through. I was a driver, and my income went down drastically because the tips were no longer there. I basically couldn’t afford my apartment anymore.”

Forced to break his lease, Steve watched his savings dwindle. “I felt a touch of panic,” remembers Steve. “A little bit of desperation. But I try to keep myself calm and think things through and find the resources I need.”

With few options, Steve moved into a local shelter for veterans the day before his lease ended. He was grateful to avoid literal homelessness, but shelter life came with challenges. Limited space, security, and food options, alongside sharing a room with two other men, gradually wore on Steve’s sense of independence.

Just as he entered his second year at the shelter, Steve heard a presentation from Homeward Bound’s Veterans Outreach team. They explained the Rapid Rehousing program, and Steve didn’t hesitate to ask for help.

Two years have passed since Homeward Bound moved Steve into his apartment in Swannanoa. His home is quiet, secure, and most importantly, it allowed him to stabilize and officially retire at 62. He says he’s free to volunteer, read, find excuses to go shopping, and go out to the park – “normal stuff that retired people do.”

“Moving into my own place provided a great sense of relief,” shares Steve, who loves Asheville and plans to stay here for the rest of his life. “I won’t have to look for and be desperate to find a place to settle. I feel a lot calmer about my future.”

Steve and his Homeward Bound Case Manager, Brea, both feel that Steve is prepared to exit the program at his estimated discharge date in October.

“That support, just knowing that there’s someone there if things get out of hand, is very comforting. She’s provided me with resources I didn’t know existed.” In turn, Brea says, “Steve is a great advocate for others. He’s always telling me about resources in town and anything he can share to help fellow clients.”

When asked what he’d share with Homeward Bound supporters, Steve says, “Don’t judge. When I see someone on the street, I feel very sympathetic toward them. I know it’s not easy. It can’t be easy. The homeless are easy to make invisible. They’re human beings for goodness’ sake. Everyone has a story…”

Steve revealed that he endured high school and four years in the Air Force as a closeted gay man. The stress of constantly looking over his shoulder and second-guessing himself, and the drugs he used to cope, led to a psychotic episode when he was 17.

“I had to be admitted for that psychosis and spent about two months in the hospital. I had some really, really caring nurses who took care of me. And I decided that’s what I wanted to do eventually – to help people like they helped me.”

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.

Ella and her husband, Arbor, work hard to provide their family with a safe and supportive home. Ella, who’s from Hendersonville, and, Arbor, who moved to the area when he was nine, had no idea that raising a family near their hometown would become a nearly impossible challenge. Over the years, they’ve watched friends and relatives move hours away in search of cheaper housing, an option Ella says isn’t possible for them because of their jobs and the need to stay close to their aging parents.

“Affordability-wise, [this area] has changed drastically,” shared Ella. “We grew up here. We love the area but so many people I went to school with are moving. It’s not because of the area or the people. It’s because they can’t afford to work in Asheville and live in Asheville.”

Two years ago, the family was forced to give up their apartment when their rent increased to $2,000. They couldn’t find anything affordable enough for a family of their size, and living on the streets with five children wasn’t an experience Ella wanted to repeat. Just over 10 years ago, Ella and her kids were homeless for two years after Ella left an abusive relationship. They found stability through Homeward Bound’s Rapid Rehousing program until Ella met and moved in with Arbor.