From the streets of Brooklyn, to our Times Square residence, Walter overcame many challenges on the path to permanent housing.
Walter Malone grew up in Long Island. Deaf from birth, like much of his family, he showed a keen interest in auto-body work from a young age. By the time he was 30, he’d become an expert.
But following the death of his mother, Walter fell on hard times, living out of his van on the streets of Brooklyn and picking up piecemeal auto-body work along Atlantic Avenue to survive.
Then he met Breaking Ground’s street outreach teams, some of who were fluent in ASL. We brought services to him where he was, right there on the street. We worked to determine what he needed and what he wanted. We helped him come indoors to transitional housing at The Andrews, our Safe Haven on the Bowery.
His Breaking Ground case manager, Gabriella, was with him every step of the way, from his van on the streets of Brooklyn, to The Andrews, and finally, to his new apartment at our Times Square residence. She even drove him through the heaviest snowstorm of the year, which arrived on his move-in day, so he wouldn’t have to wait any longer for a permanent home.
Walter experienced homelessness for 6 years. The journey from homelessness to housed is not always an easy one, and there are often setbacks along the way. Breaking Ground approaches each person with compassion, each journey with patience, and each setback with persistence. Thanks to your support of Breaking Ground, Walter and thousands of other individuals are rebuilding their lives in safe, stable housing, with the assistance they need to thrive.
Watch Walter tell his story in his own words below.