Raleigh plan to tackle homelessness seeing success: 'Not used to living in a house'

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Will Hamilton credits the good people with ACORNS, Raleigh Police, and Healing Transitions with turning his life around.

"This is very helpful because I had no money. Now I have what I need to survive, and I have a house above my head," Hamilton told ABC11.

For a year and eight months, Hamilton lived unsheltered in a wooded encampment near Dorothea Dix Park in Raleigh. He said police entered the encampment and threatened to issue a citation for trespassing if he and others did not vacate the area in 10 days.

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Soon after, Hamilton was able to get assistance and eventually move into stable, temporary housing through the City of Raleigh's Bringing Neighbors Home program. The two-year pilot initiative was introduced in May 2024 before the City Council with the goal of helping people in homelessness get back on their feet. It boasts the support of several nonprofits, including Raleigh-based Healing Transitions and Oak City Cares, among other agencies.

"They've helped me get housing ... and they got me out of the woods. It's great to be able to take a shower every day, be able to buy my own food, be able to actually live my life and not have to fight every single day," he said.

In March, the City reported that it had connected with 45 households that would be taking advantage of the two-year pilot program.

"I'm still adjusting because I finally just got housing the beginning of last month," said Hamilton, who is also an Eagle Scout. "So I know how to live in the woods. It wasn't that hard for me. It was just hard getting supplies, getting money. There's a lot of homeless people still down there."

Hamilton said his luck ran out after losing his job and not being able to secure housing, eventually becoming homeless, because of a pending felony charge and a to-be-determined court date.

Through Healing Transitions, Hamilton has been able to learn life skills, including financial literacy education. "You're not used to living in a house. So when you live a year and eight months in the woods, you have to learn and get used to actually being in the house again. It's a completely different experience," said Hamilton.

On Wednesday, his financial literacy course taught participants how to budget and the benefits and danger of credit cards. He's also been able to secure work through a local business.

"And that's extremely helpful. I don't have to struggle every day trying to make money to feed myself. I don't have to go and be out in the streets if I don't need to be," he said.

Meanwhile, Healing Transitions executive director Chris Budnick said homelessness has gone up since the COVID-19 pandemic. Budnick, who has been with the organization for 25 years, said the community is continuing to grow and there's an immediate need for services the agency offers and the Bringing Neighbors Home program.

"This problem is not on the decline," said Budnick. "It's, if anything, on the increase. And so why people should care about this is that a lot of resources get turned to dealing with folks who are unsheltered and their needs."