Categories: New York State, Network Events
10.11.2013
Tenant of the Year at the Network's 2013 Awards Gala
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Before she even turned 30, Shannon McEachern had experienced life on the streets in New York, California, Colorado, Arizona, North Carolina and Florida.
Ms. McEachern had no home and suffered from an unshakeable drug addiction. Across the country, friends offered her bus tickets and a place to stay. Each city held the promise of a new beginning. But with each city, the same drama unfolded: Her friends couldn’t live with the drug use, and so Ms. McEachern found herself roaming the streets, suitcase by her side, asking strangers for shelter. She’d steal cash for food and sleep in abandoned buildings. A Binghamton native, Ms. McEachern lived this nomadic life for 10 long years.
Those years, thankfully, are over. In 2012, Ms. McEachern moved into supportive housing from the YWCA of Binghamton and Broome County. She has since gotten clean, become a community volunteer and grown into an all-star housing advocate.
“I stand in awe of Shannon,” says YWCA of Binghamton and Broome County Executive Director Carole Coppens. “Many of us with far more privilege don’t have the courage that this woman has.”
Ms. McEachern has blossomed into a capable, inspiring adult. She now meets with a case manager and vocational counselor to develop her newfound sense of confidence. She holds a part-time job at a local library and is working toward going to college for the first time.
“It’s crazy to think where I was 17 months ago and where I am today,” she says. “I feel like I keep getting blessed in so many ways.”
Ms. McEachern has also become an advocate. Earlier this year, she visited the office of U.S. Rep. Richard Hanna and urged him to avoid cuts to homelessness programs. Ms. McEachern told the Congressman that she used to sleep in the very building that now houses his Binghamton office.
Her words stirred Rep. Hanna. The Congressman became the only Republican to sign a letter from Rep. Gwen Moore urging Congress to fully fund homelessness and housing programs.
“It has been my privilege to meet Shannon,” Rep. Hanna says. “I congratulate her on being honored as the 2013 Tenant of the Year. Congratulations, Shannon, today and every day.”
This year Ms. McEachern also became the first tenant to ever present at the Annual National YWCA Conference in Washington, DC. She received high praise for her contributions to a panel on sequestration and homelessness.
Ms. McEachern now serves on the YWCA of Binghamton and Broome County Board of Directors. Her new life, full of everyday triumphs, couldn’t be more different than her decade in distress.
For overcoming enormous adversity and becoming a remarkable advocate for supportive housing, Shannon McEachern is the winner of our Tenant of the Year award.