Buddy "Git's 'er Done!"

If you ask Buddy about his future, he will tell you exactly what he sees: a house with a garden, his kids and grandchildren living closer to him, and maybe his own Harley-Davidson motorcycle.  This idyllic future is very different from the past that Buddy has lived. 

Buddy, the son of an alcoholic and abusive father, is one of six children.  When he was 13, his father died and he spent the next 4-1/2 years in the Richmond Children’s Home.  He left there when he was 18 and moved back to Dayton where he met and married the mother of his three daughters.  But the pressures of parenthood and providing for his family led him to steal.  This would not be his only run in with the law and Buddy would eventually spend time in state correctional institutions.  After receiving parole, Buddy once again returned to Dayton only to be faced with living on the streets.  He made his home near the railroad tracks on Keowee Avenue .  In 2001, Buddy met Trudy and Miki who were outreach workers for The Other Place.  Although hesitant, he eventually made the decision to stop drinking and fighting and left a life on the streets as he entered the shelter.  Once there, Buddy was able to work with The Other Place’s case managers and he secured a supportive housing unit at the Iowa Avenue SROs on the VA campus.  Over the next six years Buddy worked hard to save money and become self sufficient and in December of 2008 he moved into his own apartment in Kettering .  He bought a car and has done most of the repairs himself.  His motto is “git ‘er done!” 

Buddy’s apartment is a huge source of pride for him and he will happily show off his collection of DVDs, his Native American paintings, and even his curtains which he helped make.  Buddy is also very proud of his six children and six grandchildren and is excited to be able to spend more time with all of them. 

Buddy would tell you that the most important piece of advice he could give anyone who finds themselves in a situation they don’t like is that “you can find guidance if you open your eyes and look.”  That is what Buddy did when he took a chance on himself and The Other Place and now Buddy is looking towards the future and all that it holds for him.

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