When Walter Smith was discharged from the Army, he was excited about the journey ahead. Proudly serving his country for two tours of duty, Walter began life as a civilian in Texas, where he worked as a welder. After being offered a higher-paying job in Tulsa, he left everything behind to accept this new position, and the future looked bright. Unfortunately, within days of arriving in Tulsa, Walter was hit with a devastating blow when he learned the job he had relocated to accept was no longer available. What came next was a series of heartbreaking events. First, he found himself unable to land another job and, after his money ran out, Walter became homeless. Then Walter endured his biggest loss yet; after placing his belongings and welding equipment into a local storage facility, he found himself unable to make the monthly payments and was notified his items would be auctioned off. With no means to pay storage fees, Walter lost everything and found himself staring rock bottom directly in the face. It would be a random conver­ sa­ tion with an unlikely ally that would set in motion another series of events in Smith’s life, but this time the outcome would be positive. While residing at a Tulsa homeless shelter, Walter met another homeless veteran who referred him to the BRRX4Vets program. Following the lead of his newfound friend, Walter contacted BRRX4Vets, who then referred him to the VA HUD- VASH Program. HUD-VASH helps homeless veterans and their families afford decent, safe and sanitary housing through the distribution of housing vouchers. Tulsa’s local HUD-VASH program, which is administered through Tulsa Housing Authority, qualified Walter to participate in its program, and on September 19, 2017, he moved into his new home. Through the program’s partnerships with the organizations BRRX4Vets and Sharehouse, Walter not only received the money he needed to pay his security deposit, but he was provided with furniture to furnish his new home as well. With a roof over his head, Walter’s next hurdle was finding a job. As a welder by trade, but now without his equipment, Walter’s career looked anything but promising without the tools needed to land a job. Walter’s dilemma came to the attention of someone with the BRRX4Vets program, and the organization was able to provide resources to help Walter obtain the welding equipment needed to return to work. Attending a job fair hosted by Goodwill Tulsa, Walter found himself speaking with a recruiter who referred him to an agency that was looking for a welder. Following that lead, he applied for and was offered the position. Today, life looks completely different for Walter Smith than it did just two short years ago. Enjoying a life of self-sufficiency, with a house to call home and a job he enjoys, Walter is living proof that a hand-up is always more powerful than a hand-out. Participant Profile Walter Smith 11 10 Members of THA’s Senior Leadership Team attend a HUD event in Washington, D.C.