Terry, a recently-housed native Houstonian reflects about his time spent experiencing homelessness, where he is now, and his plans for the future. “I have been homeless for more than two years,” said Terry. “It’s just that I’ve been awake for two years. The other years I was drugged and finding ways to escape.”
After falling into a deep depression following separation from his wife, Terry found himself homeless, wandering the streets in a fog for more than eight years. “When she left I couldn’t handle it,” he said. “She wanted to be with her other children and moved back to Georgia.”
While Terry was living secluded on the streets, he hopped from tent community to tent community, but mainly stayed at an encampment near Wheeler Avenue. Outreach teams from Avenue 360 and The Harris Center, as well as SEARCH Homeless Services and the Salvation Army of Houston provided Terry with services while he was living unsheltered, but nothing seemed to stick.
Claiming to be let down time and time again, Terry credits his Housing Navigator Tonoa Bond with Career and Recovery Resources as the key factor in getting a roof over his head again. “I think it took me so long to get housed because she was meant to be my navigator,” said Terry. “I’m so glad she was honest with me through the whole process – she’s a great person to have in your corner.”
