Reggie is the kind of person who can make anyone laugh. He harbors a deep love for movies and describes himself as having a “happy-go-lucky” approach to life. Having spent his entire life in Burlington, Vermont, he recently moved into an apartment in South Burlington with the help of the Pathways Chittenden County Housing First team.
Life hasn’t been easy for Reggie. He first experienced homelessness in 2017 when he was struggling with mobility issues and was unable to pay his rent. “I had everything and I lost it,” he recalls.
Despite selling what he could, Reggie found himself without a home. “I have slept in City Hall Park, Battery Street – anywhere I could find a place to hide.” While living on the streets, Reggie was robbed multiple times, waking up to find his disability money and possessions gone. Reggie eventually secured temporary housing, where he lived for about two years before he found himself without shelter once again. He navigated a cycle between temporary shelters, motels, and periods of living without stable shelter in Burlington. After a significant health scare led to a 10-day hospital stay, Reggie spent 14 months at the Days Inn Motel before connecting with Pathways Vermont.
Reggie connected with Pathways Vermont about 10 months ago and his life changed for the better. Even through adversity, his humor shines through, “I am happy to be here and have Pathways involved in basically every aspect of my life. I’m Taco Bell with these guys – Good to Go!”
Now that he is in his apartment, Reggie’s service team at Pathways supports him with things like trips to the bank, the grocery store, and wherever he needs. He looks forward to further furnishing his apartment to make it feel like home and is especially excited about adding stools to his counter to create a breakfast bar.
With Pathways’ support, Reggie looks forward to a life filled with the comfort of home and stability. “I have dealt with a lot of different things and still managed to come out on top with Pathways, I think it is pretty awesome.” His story is a testament to resilience, the power of support, and the strength found in laughter and optimism. “I can’t see it getting worse, not if I can help it.”
