From Homelessness to Hope

“I never thought in a million years this would happen to me.”

For years, Ed moved through life in survival mode. At 49, he found himself homeless in Charlotte. Now 62, he recalls those days vividly — especially the six months he spent sleeping in the woods.

“It was rough being homeless. I mean really rough,” he said. “I never thought in a million years that it would ever happen to me.”

Ed

Raised by his grandfather, Ed was never taught how to read or write. That made it hard to find stable work or explain his situation. Still, he stayed away from drugs and alcohol, doing his best to get by with odd jobs at construction supply stores. But the toll of sleeping outside for years left its mark: he now has limited feeling in his hands and feet from the cold. At one point, his 6'4" frame weighed just 100 pounds.

“I always wanted to learn how to read,” he said. “If I learned how to read with the discipline I have in myself, I probably wouldn’t be in this situation.”

Looking for a fresh start — and to reconnect with his brother, Ed moved to Calabash. Not long after, his brother passed away. Left with nothing but his truck, Ed didn’t know where to turn. That’s when a neighbor noticed he was sleeping in an abandoned house. Moved by his situation, she offered him a nearby mobile home — under one condition: he’d have to fix it up himself.

“She prayed for me and said, ‘You know what, we have a house here. If you can fix it up, you can have it.’ And I just broke down,” Ed recalled. “Now every day I come out here and try to do something to the home.”

Bathroom

He moved into the mobile home in 2024 and quickly got to work, even though it was a challenge.

“I try, I try. I was never good with this work — I’m used to landscaping,” he said.

The home had serious issues, especially with the roof. “When it rains, it pools and runs down the walls,” he explained. Affording major repairs felt impossible. That’s when a woman down the road told him about WARM.

Since then, WARM volunteers and contractors have helped Ed with new flooring, front stairs, railings, doors, and a reframed bathroom.

“It helped me a lot because I was just down to a point where I was praying and asking the Lord, there has to be something I can do,” he said. “I’ve never owned anything or had anything.”

New Stairs

For the first time in 13 years, Ed has a bed to sleep in. Even though it’s still hard to rest,

the years of sleeping outdoors have left him always on alert, he’s healing, slowly but surely.

Looking around at the home he’s working so hard to restore, tears welled in his eyes.

“It’s better than anything I’ve ever lived in. It’s a mansion compared to what I’ve been through.”

Through it all, his faith has kept him going.

“No matter how life treats you and how rough it gets,” he said, “just know that God got you through all of it.”