David
The keys to David’s apartment
In July, as a part of Held’s Employment Empowerment Partnership with Triad Goodwill, David began receiving $833 per month with no strings attached. I (John Thornton, Executive Director of Held) first met David during his intake and orientation to the project in a small classroom at Goodwill.
David is the first person to ever receive guaranteed income from Held.
David’s Story
David is 19 years old and has slept on the streets of downtown Greensboro for the last few months. He wound up homeless after his parents kicked him out of their house in Tennessee earlier this year because of his identity as a transgender male. They haven’t been in contact since.
He spent a few months bouncing around the couches of other family members, and then moved to Greensboro to stay with some friends he had here. After that didn’t work out, he wound up sleeping on the streets of downtown.
Sadly, David’s story is all too common.
He recently told me, “Being homeless at any age is difficult, but it’s especially hard when you don’t have hardly any life skills. I learned a few things when I was staying with friends before literally being on the street, but knowing how to do laundry can’t really help much when you don’t have a place to do it very often.”
David currently works for Goodwill in order to get experience on the job, build his resume, and explore other opportunities he might pursue. He said that making money helped, but he was still regularly coming up short.
“Even after I got a job, I felt guilty because my money from the paychecks wouldn’t last very long because it was either pay your phone bill and get food or save money. And people would tell me to budget, but it was basically impossible.”
At the intake and orientation where we met, I asked David his goals for the next year.
“Sustainability,” he said, “and just survive.”
He wanted to continue working, to get a place of his own, and save up some money to buy a PC because he likes to play video games. He immediately hit it off with Tobi, our Participant Support Specialist, over their shared love of gaming.
Tobi’s role with Held is to be a listening ear and to support each person receiving guaranteed income in ways that they may need. He’s especially well-equipped to do this because Tobi has himself been homeless and is also a former recipient of guaranteed income. Now he has the chance to support others receiving the same help that he did. You can read more about his story here.
How Guaranteed Income Has Worked
David has said that the regular, guaranteed income helped him cover more of his basic needs while he applied for places to live. “With the money from Held, I was able to make it all last longer so I wouldn’t be hungry as much.”
One evening after work, David felt stressed about a few mistakes he’d made on the job. He worried that he’d get written up and lose his job. He messaged Tobi about it, and Tobi assured him that he had nothing to worry about and that mistakes happen.
David and I got breakfast together the next morning and over eggs, hashbrowns and coffee, we talked about navigating difficult situations at work and how excited he was to use the guaranteed income provided by Held to go see a new movie coming out that evening.
Getting to know David the last few months, I’ve witnessed how much he worries that small mistakes might lead to drastic consequences, and I certainly can’t blame him. He’s struggled so much more than I ever have, but he’s been resilient through it all. He recently told me.
“The main thing that got me through it really was just putting one foot in front of another. If I didn’t think about how I was homeless, I could just zone out and play on my laptop and distract myself.”
I have so much admiration for David’s resilience and also wish we lived in a society where he didn’t need to exercise it in this way just to keep going.
Beyond the income, I’m grateful that Tobi has offered encouragement to David as our Participant Support Specialist these last few months. Being 19 and navigating the world is hard enough on anyone, but especially so without a home and a family support system.
It’s Time to Move In
On Friday, December 1st, Tobi and I picked up David at the winter shelter he had been admitted to a week prior. We loaded up his few bags of belongings, and together the three of us drove to an apartment complex a few minutes away. We watched as David signed his first lease, got his electricity turned on, and received the keys to his first apartment.
He’s now slowly getting settled into his new home and grateful to be off the streets. After a few days in his new place, David said, “Once I get my furniture and my utensils and plates and stuff I’ll finally be able to relax. I might be able to save money too since I won’t have to only buy single meals of food anymore.”
Held is Happy To Help
Supporting and getting to know David in his journey and seeing the difference that caring support and stable reliable income can make in someone’s life brings us at Held an immeasurable joy.
In 2024, we plan to expand our partnership with Triad Goodwill to provide guaranteed income to even more people in their care. If you’d like to give to Held to support us in that you can do so by clicking below
