MATTHEWS — Paying tribute to our nation’s heroes, Home Again Foundation of Charlotte held its 2nd Hometown Heroes Ball Nov. 7 at Levine Senior Center.
The night, filled with war stories, fight songs and color guard presentations, honored veterans while raising funds to house Mecklenburg’s homeless population.
Home Again Foundation, founded by Rick Gilbert, a long-time parishioner of St. Luke in Mint Hill, provides transitional affordable housing for those lacking stable shelter until they gain the ability to unlock the doors of their own home.
The banquet’s guest speaker, Marine Corps veteran Latrone Walters, now owner of a web development company, discussed his struggles after leaving the military.
“I went through a very difficult time in life,” Walters said. “I basically slept on the street and lived outside, but through God’s grace, persistence and the discipline that the Marine Corps gave me, I was able to climb back up.”
According to the “Built for Zero” initiative, Walters is not alone. There are currently 138 unhoused veterans in Mecklenburg County.
“Some are living out of their car, others living on someone’s couch,” Gilbert said. “They shouldn’t have to. They served our country. They should have a place to call home, some dignity, and something they could afford.”
Gilbert and his team work tirelessly every day to change that, currently housing four veteran families in their first tiny cottage community called “Small Beginnings.”
“They’re not homeless anymore. They’re all working, paying their own way,” Gilbert said.
“People’s lives are changing here through this housing program, and they are receiving the dignity they deserve.”
The community is filled with families occupying eight tiny cottages: one with three bedrooms, two with two bedrooms and five with a single bedroom.
Since the 2021 ribbon cutting, three families have become stable enough to leave the program, opening up space for those on what Gilbert characterizes as a “three-mile-long waiting list.”
Each resident has their own story – a mother escaping an abusive relationship, a single mom living in a car with her two children, a man who lived in a shed for years. At Home Again, they were able to take the situation they were dealt and change it for good, and now they’re thriving.
Rick said that without God, all this would not have happened. “We didn’t do this. God did. I just kept praying and praying.”
St. Luke’s parishioners clapped extra loud at the ball, as many have helped along the way. The Knights of Columbus put in the swing set and landscaped the one-acre lot. Parishioners furnished cottages and volunteered their own time and money. Many rode shotgun while Gilbert’s dream came to fruition and are ready for whatever happens next.
Gilbert, who organized Room in the Inn, a shelter for the homeless during the winter months, at St. Luke Church since 1995, still felt compelled to do more.
In 2018, he humbly took to the St. Luke parish pulpit, describing his vision and announcing the formation of the Home Again Foundation.
Now in its seventh year, the foundation is ready to expand. Gilbert’s dream is to eventually open a 300-tiny-cottage development on a large plot of land with a medical center, general store and on-site daycare.
“It is so much easier for us all to come together as a village,” said Gilbert. “This can all come together faster if we all work together.”
— Lisa M. Geraci
