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Turning on the lights and scanning the room for “one last time,” Billy took in the space that is the men’s shelter at the Salvation Army of Amarillo.
The room includes 10 bunk beds, with single-sized mattresses lined along the walls and two rows in the center of the room. Each bed was neatly made, including bed sheets, a blanket, and a pillow. Some beds still had backpacks and belongings of people who stayed there the night before.
“That was my bunk,” Billy said, pointing to a bottom bunk of the second row, visible from the entrance.
Billy pointed across the room to the former bed of a man who had given him a duffel bag in exchange for a soda, and another on the opposite end of the room, which was once used by a man who gave him clothes.
Billy said that although his time at the shelter was short, he can recall the way the men in the shelter looked after one another and helped each other create a plan for the next day.
“A lot of us were looking out for each other in the morning, or that night before when we were going to sleep, we were like, ‘What are you doing tomorrow?’ ‘You can go here and go look for a job.’ ‘Go here.’ ‘You need to go here.’ And I already knew what I needed to do. I needed to go to work, because that’s the only way I was gonna be able to make it. I knew there was still a future out there for me,” Billy said.
Billy said he moved to Amarillo from San Angelo with nothing but a small bag of clothes.
“I left San Angelo because I was in a bad situation there. And it was just choices that I made. I left a job that was making great money, I left a two-bedroom apartment, [I was] paying bills, had a vehicle and everything, and it was just a bad situation. It wasn’t safe for me there anymore,” Billy said.
Billy traveled to Amarillo in February, intending to start over, and a friend recommended that he go to the Salvation Army’s shelter to seek assistance.
When he first arrived, Billy said that with the money he had in his pockets, he purchased as many bus passes as he could to search for work. Billy said he was turned down five times over approximately four days before he was hired to work the afternoon shift at a food chain establishment.
Billy recalled his routine in those early weeks of moving to Amarillo. He said he would wake up, make his bed, eat breakfast and complete his chores if he was cleaning that day. Billy said he would leave the shelter around 7 a.m. and take the bus to the area near his job and stay until his shift began in the afternoon. Billy said after his shift ended, he would get a ride back to the shelter and arrive around 10:30 p.m., and he continued this routine until he saved enough money to purchase a phone.
“Being here taught me structure again. You have chores to do here. You have a time to be here, time to leave. You got a time to eat, they serve meals, and there were people here that were helping each other, with clothing or advice. Everybody knew what they wanted,” Billy said.
According to the Salvation Army, Monday through Friday, the overnight shelter opens at 4:30 p.m. and closes at 7 a.m. the following day. The shelter is open longer on the weekends. Individuals who provide proof of employment are permitted to return to the shelter later.
Wendy Lara, Community Relations and Development Coordinator for Salvation Army of Amarillo, said Billy was always willing to go “above and beyond” both with himself and with helping others succeed.
“I met him here just serving dinner on Monday nights, because that’s usually when I stay late, because we have volunteers, and I met him while he was staying here. What caught my attention is that he went above and beyond. We have to make sure the dining hall is clean, and he was always willing and ready, not just cleaning his area, but also helping other participants in our program clean their area,” Lara said.
Salvation Army of Amarillo Major Tex Ellis said that although the organization’s mission is to help those in need, the Salvation Army doesn’t always know what happens to an individual after they leave the shelter. Ellis said that, although he had not met Billy prior to the day of the interview, it meant a lot to him to have an individual return to the Salvation Army, want to share their success and thank the individuals who helped make it happen.
“We don’t always get that feedback, because our mission is to be here to help somebody as soon as they need it, and then usually we don’t hear back. We hope and we pray that they’ve made it and they’ve gone on to the next level or next situation. So when we do get to hear from somebody and it was a success, it’s just, it just further solidifies what we do … We don’t do it to hear the gratitude, but when you do hear it, it just really helps you realize, ‘Hey, it does work,'” Ellis said.
Lara said that by sharing his success with the Salvation Army and the Amarillo Tribune, she hopes Billy will further inspire people in similar situations to seek assistance.
Billy said he stayed at the Salvation Army men’s shelter for approximately a month before moving into a pallet home at Transformation Park and that although he wasn’t at the Salvation Army for long, the staff made an impact on him.
“Miss Wendy and the staff [at Salvation Army] are so wonderful. They opened so many doors for me. They didn’t judge, they don’t judge anybody here. That’s what they’re here for; it’s not only a job for them, it’s a way of life. And I can see that. They saw that in me. They believed in me. Miss Wendy, she saw that. And I believe in myself. And I didn’t do this by myself, Salvation Army helped me and [Transformation Park] where I’m living at now, they’re bending over backwards for me,” Billy said.
Billy applied to use a pallet home at Transformation Park in April. The day he set out for the interview, he intended to tackle two steps in his plan for his future: he’d interview for the pallet home, then go for a job interview at Sam’s Club.
Mo Senteney-Dixon, communications director for Transformation Park, said that Transformation Park had just graduated its first round of temporary residents and was seeking individuals to fill the cabins again, and that following the initial interviews, she could tell very quickly that Billy was a good candidate for the pallet homes and would use the space to better himself.
“I mean, everyone puts their best foot forward in an interview process. But he was like, ‘No, I’m planning on using this as transitional housing. All I need is just a place to stay so I can save. I want to get a job, get a car, get a place, and reestablish my life here.’ And he was so enthusiastic about it, and I knew that he was serious about what he was saying, because that same day that he had an interview with us, he was like, ‘And I already got an interview with Sam’s Club,’ so he was already pursuing that path, whether or not we were there to help him or not, he’s like, ‘No matter what, I’m going to keep moving forward,'” Senteney-Dixon said.
Senteney-Dixon said cabin members each sign an agreement to help clean and maintain Transformation Park while living in the pallet homes, and that Billy performed his chores with purpose.
Billy said he was hired at Sam’s Club in April and works in the maintenance department. Billy said that although he has only been at Sam’s Club for a short time, he has already received recognition for his work
“I [received] the Safety Employee of the Month, and I got a plaque, I’m on the video screen in the break room. And it’s pretty cool. I got a picture and I got a lot of recognition, And it’s just basically doing my job right, helping others, helping keep a safe and clean workspace,” Billy said.
Senteney-Dixon said although she doesn’t see Billy everyday because he is “always moving,” she can see that his willingness to strive for better has inspired others at Transformation Park.
“It’s just really exciting to see him thrive and succeed and be on fire for the process. He is such a kind, gracious person, and we love him, Billy. He’s still at Transformation Park, but we have no doubt he’s gonna be a really strong success story from us,” Senteney-Dixon said.
Billy said his next goal is to get an apartment and believes he can reach that goal in the upcoming months. Billy said after that, he wants to give back and “return the blessings” to the Salvation Army and Transformation Park by volunteering.
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