13 November 2014

    

Timothy can hardly believe that he has his own apartment these days. It’s a long way from where he was one year ago – which was living in a tent on an empty field in Western, WA.

Almost 50 years ago, he was in the US Navy, serving in Vietnam. After the service, “life was good,” he reports. “I had a good job making ships, a wife, and two daughters.”

But life took a few turns during the past two decades, and he found himself divorced and out of touch with his daughters. After the divorce, he rented a home from friends, but found it difficult to pay rent when the shipping industry took a turn for the worse and he lost his job.

Suddenly he was left with nothing – no income, no family, and no home. The tent was all he had.

Fortunately, a “good Samaritan” introduced him to The Salvation Army William Booth Center in Seattle. The Center offers a safe place to live for homeless men, and guidance for them to get back on their feet. “I didn’t know about this place,” said Timothy in regards to the William Booth Center. “Without it, I probably would still be living in that tent – or dead.”

The caseworker at William Booth Center worked with Timothy to help him achieve independent living. During the year he lived at the Booth, Timothy was able to sign up for Social Security, and even received some overdue compensation. He was approved for food stamps, and qualified for low-income housing. Now that he has his own apartment and can provide for himself, he is working on reconnecting with his daughters.

“Timothy is similar to many Vets who come to The Salvation Army,” said Captain Dana Libby, director of Seattle Social Services and the William Booth Center. “A little bad luck takes away everything they’ve worked for. These men and women gave so much to our country, now we work to give back to them.”

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