Phil arrived humbled and hopeless.
 

“It was like my favorite song, ‘The End of the Road,’ but it’s not the end,” said Phil, who is 60 years old. “I realized this was the beginning, but I was down and a little bit depressed because of the problems I was facing.”
 

At the time, Phil was married and an associate pastor in Columbus, IN. After facing some personal problems, Phil moved to Louisville.
 

In May 2024, he moved into a private room in one of the campus apartments on our Special Works Campus. At Waypoint, he pays a monthly rent for his room. There is a shared bathroom and community kitchen.
 

“This place has given me hope again,” Phil added. “I was feeling hopeless until I met some of the guys because they were so content, happy, and didn’t want to move.”
 

The camaraderie on our campus has changed Phil’s perspective and kept him going in this season.
 

“You would think my journey, every­thing crashed then. But I got here, and I sat outside on the picnic table. I didn’t know anyone for two weeks. By my third week, I started talking to Tim and Mark (Waypoint residents),” he said. “I believe God puts people in a place for a reason for a season. What are the chances that Tim came from the same hometown as my parents and the more we opened up, it turns out that my father and his mother used to work at the same bowling alley … that’s what helped me transition. It was hard at first because it’s being like the new kid in the school.”
 

Phil is one of roughly 40 Veterans we support through either transitional housing or affordable housing on our campus.
 

A Veteran in the Army National Guard from 1982-86 who also worked overseas for a security company during the Gulf War, Phil is facing his past and now helping others do the same. He hosts a weekly Bible study for the residents.
 

“I found my niche. I’m so used to talking to people. When I started sitting outside, I got to meet some of the guys from the shelter and ladies. We’d talk. I got to meet different people,” Phil said. “It felt good to be able to talk to someone who is going through something and I can relate to a part of it because of what I’ve went through, especially when it comes to substance abuse.”
 

Through our Mental Health & Sub­stance Use Program, Phil has attended one-on-one counseling sessions and the weekly Veterans group, where they have coffee and donuts. He has met with two of SVDP's Mental Health Clinical Services Coordinators—Ariel Perkins (a Veteran) and Pam Scott.
 

“I realize since I’ve been here, and the struggle with myself … I learned to find me,” Phil added. “I let Ariel know what’s been haunting me when I went overseas. Now I understand that it’s not good to keep stuff in. If it wasn’t for Ariel and Pam, I truly thought I would have lost it. I’m opening up to Ariel and it feels so good. I see things differently now.”
 

When Phil leaves, he would like to return to work or volun­teer at SVDP.