William Quimby worked full-time from the age of 15 until the morning when he physically could not get out of bed. The pain in his back and hip was eventually diagnosed as disc disease and avascular necrosis. Unable to work, and with mounting medical bills, he exhausted his savings and lost his home. “I watched strangers and garbage men,” he recalls, “haul away everything I owned.” He was ill and homeless when he was connected with housing through CHN and the Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program. When the opportunity arose for William to enter the Leasing Assistance Program, he hesitated, at first not wanting to take a spot from someone else, but finally realized the longer-term housing program might give him the stability needed to move on with his life. William is grateful now to have a stable roof over his head, continues to work to maintain his health, and volunteers when physically able to pay it forward. Tricia Blak, CHN leasing specialist, says William “has been diligent” in working through the programs “as they are intended.” William says, “It all has to do with that one first step, getting a roof over my head.” He adds, “The more they helped me, the more it made me want to help myself.” William Quimby was honored at the 2012 Raise the Rook with the Emmett Jones Memorial Award as an example of someone who was empowered through CHN’s programs.