Until Wednesday, Mr. Phillips had been homeless for 10 years, mostly living on the streets in Spring, TX. All of that changed when he moved into his new home at New Hope Housing's Sakowitz property.

His Avenue 360 I-Care Navigator/Case Manager Briana was there for the moment, as well as Deputy J.M. Kelly, a member of the Harris County Sheriff’s Homeless Outreach Team. Mr. Phillips credits Deputy Kelly with helping him get off the streets and into housing.

Mr. Phillips shared that finding food and a place to bathe was a big challenge while being homeless in Spring. He has family in the Houston area, but they did not offer support.



As he was moving into his home, Mr. Phillips said, “It’ll take a while to get used to [this}, but it feels wonderful.” He is ready to heal from his hip surgery and has plans to go back to school and get a degree in the medical field.

We also asked Mr. Phillips if there was anything he would like to share to help people understand homelessness better and he shared that people shouldn’t judge the homeless based on their current circumstances, but they should instead recognize them for who they are and that they haven’t given up.



“Just because you don’t have anything doesn’t mean you’re nobody,” said Mr. Phillips. “I was down, but I never gave up and now am in a better place.”