A Sense of Accomplishment | David Brown

Tall, dignified, and sharply dressed, David Brown cuts an impressive figure. It’s a far cry from what he looked like just a few years ago.

When Project HOME was just starting out in 1989, David Brown had already logged several years on the streets. In fact, he spent 25 years on the streets – most of them under the awning of the old Youth Study Center, now the site of the Barnes Foundation. A troubled youth with little education or work experience gave him few options, so he toughed it out, along with many others experiencing chronic homelessness.

Almost all of his street companions from those days are dead. His years of resistance ended in 2011 when, seeking care for urgent medical issues, he came in and began dramatically changing his life. David now lives in an immaculately clean studio apartment at James Widener Ray Homes. He is making up for his early years of education deficits by taking classes at the Honickman Learning Center and Comcast Technology Labs. 

And several days a week David can found at the HOME Spun Resale Boutique, where he is employed plying his people skills as an avid salesman. “Employment and being in a working atmosphere are a very important part of getting back into society,” David says. “I’m happy to be part of Project HOME’s employment program – it gives me stability, a sense of accomplishment, and a goal of getting up every day and going to work.”

David's story was included in our 25th Anniversary Gala book.