An Opportunity to be Safe – West Memphis, AR
May 16th, 2017
Joey Pease is a recovering alcoholic who also suffers from crippling post-traumatic stress disorder and has been legally disabled for a decade. Pease’s limited disability income made decent housing seem like an out-of-reach dream, but when his throat was slit during a robbery in the rundown apartment complex where he was living, he knew his life depended on finding a safe home.
Pease found that home in Riverside Park, an apartment complex renovated with financing from Hope Credit Union.
“I hate to speak bad of a place, but before they renovated it, Riverside Park was a hellhole,” Pease says. “The difference is night and day, like two different properties. This place is warm and welcoming, more like a home than an apartment complex.”
Pease appreciates the modest rent, high- efficiency appliances, and low utility costs that leave him with more money for other monthly necessities. He’s also grateful for the conscientious management team that makes sure the property stays clean and well-maintained. But what Pease enjoys most about Riverside Park is the opportunity to live a life without fear.
“I’ve got two years sobriety, and I give a lot of credit for that to living in this peaceful, quiet place without neighbors who are drunk or on drugs or whatever you find in some of these places people like me have to live in,” Pease says. “There are a lot of children living here in Riverside Park, and this place is giving them an opportunity, too. They’re not growing up in some awful place where they feel bad about themselves. I’m so thankful. This place has been
an answer to prayer.”
