Reconnecting with Hope

NYCHA houses our heroes

NYCHA houses our heroes

Eugene Williams has what he likes to call a revelations list. It’s not a bucket list. Mr. Williams sees his list as a way to live his best life, not as things to do before he dies—and he credits this outlook to having his own place to call home.

Mr. Williams, a 66-year-old Army veteran, was homeless for almost three years before he moved into an apartment at a supportive housing site run by Volunteers of America, Webster House, in the Bronx in July 2015. He received housing through Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH), a program of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to move homeless veterans and their families into permanent housing. The program offers veterans Section 8 vouchers, which are overseen by public housing agencies.

“I am extremely grateful to everyone who made it possible for me to be here in my own apartment. My life is turned around; I’ve learned that you can be in some of the roughest places in your life and still keep trying,” Mr. Williams says.

He is one of 2,691 veterans who have received housing through NYCHA’s HUD-VASH program. After serving 10 years in the Army, he struggled with alcoholism and entered a treatment program. Sober, he was able to help others, including the homeless, individuals re-entering life after rehab, and patients in a psychiatric center. In 2010 his health began to deteriorate, he could not work, and he lost his housing. Last year, while he was homeless, he had his right leg amputated due to an accident and diabetes. He relies on a wheelchair and is learning how to use a prosthetic leg. Mr. Williams now has a power wheelchair and a walker, and has to do physical therapy exercises at home. 

NYCHA is working to find him a larger apartment that will better suit his needs.

As for his revelations list, Mr. Williams has crossed off learning how to golf and hopes to conquer skiing this winter. He says that having a home has opened his eyes to new opportunities and new challenges to meet.

“I’m 66 but some days I feel like I’m 36. My journey is far from over. I have something special I need to do: Uplift other veterans and civilians. You can experience bad things in life but there is plenty of support, you just have to be willing to reach out your hand and take it,” Mr. Williams says. “I want to help people reconnect with hope.”