July was a monumental month for Army veteran Whitney Hamilton. At age 63, he became a first-time homeowner! But it wasn’t an easy journey for Whitney to get to where he is today.
“It was about 1985, and I think that was when the cocaine era was peaking and I tried it, and I liked it, and I got addicted to it,” Whitney said. “One thing lead to another … I wound up sleeping in my car in the (work) parking lot. I kept seeing I could handle this.”
He said he ended up spending years in and out of rehabs, ruined relationships with his son and family, and continued to suffer from substance abuse.
It wasn’t until 2014 when Whitney reached his breaking point and decided to become fully recovered from his addictions.
“Finally, I really hit rock bottom. I just got tired of living that life,” Whitney said. “I’d get up for a while, then I’d go back down again.”
He called HVAF in July 2014 and unlike the usual answer he gets from recovery centers about not having an open bed for 30 days-- they told him they had a bed ready for him that same day.
“I was kind of excited. I felt in my spirit that this was going to be it. So I came to HVAF and the REST Program and I decided that whatever they told me I had to do, I was gonna do,” Whitney said. “I knew the lingo, I could fool you. But I wasn’t trying to do that this time. So I went through the program, and did 8 months there.”
Now, Whitney is celebrating five years of sobriety, is reunited with his son and grandchildren, and has a new place to call his home.
About a year and a half ago, Habitat for Humanity initially reached out to Whitney about building a home. He was hesitant at first, but six months ago, the process began and he was approved.
“I didn’t know if I was ready for something like that, not at my age,” Whitney said. “I couldn’t believe it.”
Being a Habitat participant, Whitney had to work 300 sweat equity hours-- including help build his house.
Habitat for Humanity’s Construction Superintendent Chase Yanzer has worked with the organization for a year and a half, and helped Whitney build his new home.
“Our mission here at Habitat is basically to try and give people the opportunity who are currently probably paying the majority of their income in rent and give them the opportunity to instead put that money towards a stable home,” Chase said. “We’re trying to give people the opportunity to better themselves by being able to move into a home and know that they have a secure place to live.”
