Stories | Houston | The Beacon

William

A hard worker for most of his life, William suffered a back injury in August of 2013 that kept him out of work. After 14 months of visits to the doctor and a myriad of tests, medical screenings confirmed that he suffered a fractured disc in his lower back. He would not be physically able to work again.

While anxiously awaiting the approval of his Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), he exhausted all of his savings and without a financial safety net and with no family in Houston, he took shelter in abandoned houses.

He recalls that his biggest challenge was to “not lose hope.” For several years, The Beacon has been his refuge – a place where he found hope. Upon receiving his SSDI benefits, he felt certain that affordable housing would still be out of his reach.

Thankfully, William had tapped into Coordinated Access at The Beacon and a housing assessment matched him with a beautiful, safe apartment that he could afford. February 16, 2017 was moving day and Mr. Elliott’s face beamed with pride and gratefulness for his new home.

Jeffrey

When Jeffrey came to The Beacon, he was recovering from a rough patch in his life and wanted desperately to go back to work. He was set to get a job as a stevedore at the Port of Houston, but a change in ID laws prevented him from renewing his driver's license. Without any income or work, he found himself on the street, sleeping behind bushes in Houston’s museum district just south of downtown.

"It was rough," Jeffrey confided. After going to agencies all over Houston and getting caught in what Jeffrey calls a "vicious cycle," he finally made his way to The Beacon and was connected with our Beacon Law program and began his ID restoration case.

We were able to bring justice to Jeffrey by restoring his identity, and he is now a proud homeowner and certified stevedore at the Port of Houston.