A Journey Worth Taking
For the majority of his life, Bill Hallacy struggled with a drug addiction that worsened after losing his son, daughter, and mother. His addiction left him homeless and almost completely cut off from the rest of his family.
Bill had sought help from a few organizations in the past with little success. It was Kar Woo, Director of Artists Helping the Homeless, and The Salvation Army that teamed up to give him the help he needed.
After 11 months in Woo’s program, Bill graduated to The Salvation Army’s Transitional Housing and Connections to Success programs, which helped him gain sobriety and a job. He even reunited with his family.
“After [my dad] found out what I was going through and what I’ve done, he had my sisters take me to his house,” said Bill. “He’s accepted me like none of the past ever happened. I got to see my two little kids… for the first time in 3 years.”
Today Bill’s going on two years sober and working in custodial and maintenance for The Salvation Army Kansas City Kansas Citadel Corps.
“I’ve been through a lot of other stuff, other groups, and organizations, but The Salvation Army has been my every day, my support,” said Bill.
In the future, Bill hopes to continue working for The Salvation Army and provide his own personal services to the homeless. He plans to convert a minivan into an on-the-go oasis, supplying food and warmth at all hours for those in the same position he was in. He’s even considering becoming a drug counselor.
“My goal is to help people,” said Bill. “If I don’t use what I put myself through to help other people it’s just a waste of time. I kind of consider it an education so I know what people need.”
One of the things Bill is most grateful for is The Salvation Army’s trust in him.
“I’ve been a drug addict forever, I’ve been to prison a couple of times, and right now I’ve got the keys in my pocket to every room in this building and they know I’m not going to do anything wrong with that,” said Bill. “Trusting somebody and treating them decent— that’ll do amazing things for them. And that’s what The Salvation Army does.”