Army Veteran Willie Clark Jr. served his country from 2005 until 2011. He was born and raised in Rosston Arkansas. “I worked for Tyson Foods after graduation, but after a few years I joined the Army National Guard This country boy just wanted something different”.
And different it was. Mr. Clark served two tours as an infantryman in Iraq before returning home. “Since then, I got mixed up with alcohol and drugs. I’ve done some prison time because of that. And I’ve been fighting homelessness and addiction for a while. But I had a daughter three years ago. I heard about St. Francis House while I was incarcerated and my daughter is here; I want to be here for her. “
Mr. Clark continued “I didn’t have my dad; I want her to have hers. My mother is still in Rosston and I couldn’t ask for a better mother. She was always there. She could not believe who I became while on alcohol and drugs and now she just wants the best for me.” His daughter’s mother is also supportive. “She wants me to get my life together for my daughter. “
Mr. Clark has been at St. Francis House for a little over a month. He is taking refresher courses through the Veterans Upward Bound program at Pulaski Tech and hopes to become HVAC certified. “I’ll be looking for housing through the HUD/VASH program and staying in Little Rock since that’s where my daughter is. But something changed when I came here. I want to be active in my community. In addition to my addiction and homelessness, I’ve been diagnosed with PTSD and I think my experiences could help others. I’m thinking that maybe I could work with troubled youth or other programs.”