Meet William! William joined our team back in November of 2024 as our Street Outreach Lead
Advocate, however, he is not totally new to New Visions, having served as a Shelter Case Manager back in 2021. At that time, New Visions did not even have a Street Outreach program, so William can see first-hand how we have pivoted to meet the ever-changing needs of the community. Today, William’s daily tasks include meeting with clients to determine barriers to housing, working on details such as a client’s identification documents and income, and going out into the community to meet with individuals facing homelessness right where they are.
Growing up in Illinois and receiving his Bachelor’s degree in Human Development there, William and his wife have been in the Omaha/CB metro since 2017. He is currently working on his Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, hoping to graduate in the summer of 2026. His role in Street Outreach has been both challenging and rewarding, and he’s grateful to be in an environment like New Visions. “The passion, dedication, and empathy for other human beings that our staff displays is unlike anywhere else,” says William. “I also love getting to help our clients see a hopeful future. There’s a change in the way that they carry themselves when they realize that their life can be better, and I’m honored to be a part of that.”
Being in the unique situation of having worked in homeless services just a few years ago, William notes that one of the biggest changes he has noticed in our community is the increase in the number of women and children experiencing street-level homelessness. “It’s shocking to me,” he says, “the number of women and children who have experienced domestic violence or are in severe immediate turmoil and unsheltered in our community. The other change I’ve seen is that the overall population of individuals facing homelessness is getting younger and younger. These young people are living lives that would have broken others,” says William, “and the amount of barriers that keep them from attaining or maintaining housing is growing greater and greater.”
Compassionate, creative, and comedic, William brings a lot of skills to his role in Street Outreach (including alliteration). “One of the biggest things we do for our clients is to provide consistent contact,” he says, “sometimes it takes bringing a lot of pairs of gloves or bottles of water before they trust you enough to allow you to help them with the bigger issues of housing, mental health, or addiction.”
In his free time, William enjoys spending time with his wife and pets, trying different restaurants,
reading, and doing various DIY projects. He’s proud to have overcome a lot of personal barriers in life and to be in a position to pay it forward and be able to help others. We at New Visions are grateful for William’s dedication and passion for serving others, and we know our community is a better place because of his work to provide help, hope, and opportunity to those experiencing hunger and homelessness.
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