For nearly a decade, Mr. Hamilton’s home was his work: a truck. As a long-haul driver, the road became both his livelihood and his living space. But when retirement arrived, so did an unfamiliar challenge. Finding a stable place to call home, and trying to remain financially stable were just a few of Mr. Hamilton’s biggest challenges. Yet, his faith in God and unwavering determination guided him through the uncertainty.
With the support of his VA counselor, social worker, and Front Steps, Mr. Hamilton took a major step forward. In efforts to follow his path to financial stability finding a home was simply his next step. After contacting Front Steps, Mr. Hamilton finally stepped into his new home for the first time in more than eight years. This step was the completion of a long, often exhausting process of rebuilding stability.
Mr. Hamilton’s Inspiration
For Mr. Hamilton, securing a home would be one of the many steps that would allow him to keep giving to the people who matter most. His biggest motivation is his 99-year-old mother, an icon in the nursing field whose textbooks have been translated into 17 languages and used by over four million nursing students worldwide. Her legacy of service and dedication continues to inspire him every day.
Even now, much of Mr. Hamilton’s income goes toward supporting his mother’s medical needs, with help from his two sisters who serve as her primary caregivers. “I do what I do primarily to help Mom,” he says with quiet pride. “She’s still kicking, she’s doing fine and I’ll always do my part.”
Mr. Hamilton’s Message to You.
Mr. Hamilton’s advice to anyone facing homelessness is this to create your own plan for success and have the self-determination to see it through.
“If you don’t do it, nobody is going to do it for you,” he says. “You have to want it. You have to go after it.”
And while he firmly believes in personal responsibility, Mr. Hamilton also knows the power of community. Guided by his Christian faith, he lives by the principle, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” He often shares what little he has sometimes feeding up to ten people a day because he’s seen how generosity has a way of coming back.
For him, making a difference doesn’t require grand gestures.
“If you do nothing else, making yourself available to others, even if it’s just one day, it’s a step in the right direction,” he says. “It’s about taking the time and making yourself available.”
At Front Steps, we are proud to walk alongside veterans like Mr. Hamilton as they take courageous steps toward stability and independence. Together, we can ensure more people have the chance to create their own path to success. Your donations makes stories like his possible. When we open doors, we open futures.