There is no single answer to the why and how of homelessness.
Every person who has lived through it has their own story, their own path they travelled into and out of that chapter of their life.
But there are two things they do share – a moment when they realize they are tired of being “sick and tired” and a moment when they find meaningful connections with resources that can help.
"When I wanted to become sober, that was hard because I wanted to get back into society, but I knew I was so far below that it was going to take little steps, but you also got to want to do it," Joe Yarak said of his journey out of homelessness.
Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week (HHAW) is an annual program where communities come together across the country to draw attention to the problems related to these issues.
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To underscore HHAW Week, Nov. 15 - 21, the Catawba County Housing Visions Continuum of Care group is hosting a community event, "Stories of Hope." This will be a chance to hear from individuals like Yarak, who was homeless for 9 years. Also sharing their story will be Dytisha Watkins and her daughter, who made the most of the resources at The Shelter of Hope in 2025 to find a path back into a permanent home this year.
According to the 2025 NC Balance of State Homeless Count, Catawba County had a total of 449 homeless individuals: 332 in a shelter, 49 in transitional housing and 68 unsheltered.
Being accountable
When he was homeless, Yarak looked for a dark place, somewhere no one would see him when he searched for a place to sleep. Financial troubles and his addiction to alcohol led him down this path and for the longest time he saw no way out, but he did not hide the truth from himself.
“It boils down to responsibility. Do you want to own up to your own actions, or do you want to run away,” he said. “I got tired of telling myself the same thing every day…even now, I have to stay determined.”
Being disciplined and connecting with agencies like Kindness Project Hickory and the Homeless Response Team at Western Piedmont Council of Governments helped Yarak make a positive turn in his life.
“I didn’t know any of these programs worked. I wasn’t a fun person to be around back then, but they saw something in me that I knew was there as well,” Yarak said.
“He deserved a chance.”
When Kindness Project Hickory first met Yarak in early 2025, he was living on a sidewalk, pushing a walker, struggling with alcoholism and had two broken hips.
“Through the generosity of our community, we were able to raise funds to provide extended hotel stays, allowing Joe a safe place to recover and making it possible for him to undergo the surgeries he desperately needed,” Kindness Project Hickory President Ashley Dellinger said.
At one of the agency’s outreach events, they were able to connect Yarak with WPCOG’s Homeless Response Team, which helped get him connected to the resources he needed to find a home.
“His journey is a reminder that sometimes it takes more than a meal,” Dellinger said. “It takes people willing to show up, a community willing to give, and the belief that someone's circumstances today don't have to define their tomorrow.”
According to data from the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s 2025 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report for the country:
- 745,652 individuals were homeless on a single night in January 2025.
- 266,320 individuals were living unsheltered on a single night in January 2025.
- Between 2013 and 2025, homelessness increased 27%, unsheltered homelessness increased 36% and chronic homelessness increased 81%.
Yarak acknowledges his journey is not the same as it is for others, but he believes everyone is in control of their own destiny.
Hear more of Joe’s story as well as from the Watkins family at the Hunger and Homelessness Awareness, "Stories of Hope" event on Nov. 19 at the Hickory Soup Kitchen (110 2nd St Pl SE, Hickory, NC 28602), starting at 6 p.m.
