Veteran’s new career at 70 after homelessness and addiction

It’s never too late for a new beginning. Just ask Navy Veteran Walter Johnson Jr., who successfully emerged from decades of substance addiction and homelessness to become a certified nursing assistant (CNA) in his 70s.

He now works for VA, transporting patients, picking up labs and serving as a unit peer leader who provides important hope and inspiration.

“I see angry Veterans every day and I want to be the person that puts a smile on their face or gives them some peace. I’m doing something I love to do. All I want to do is help Veterans, lead them and guide them where they need to go,” Johnson said.

“All I saw was drug abuse”

Johnson joined the Navy at 17, following in the footsteps of a father who had served three tours in Vietnam. He ended up on the same ship as his stepfather, deploying to the Caribbean and several European countries over three years.

Johnson began repeating the patterns he’d seen in his childhood, developing a drug and alcohol addiction that would last for decades and nearly take his life.

“As a child, all I saw was drug abuse. Nobody ever told me that what I was doing was going to ruin my life,” he shared.

He simply knew that using drugs and alcohol eased the feelings of tension and anxiety that traced back to his childhood when he was often a witness to violence against his mother by his father.

A life-changing moment

Feeling adrift after his discharge from the Navy in 1973, Johnson considered going to school to be a hairdresser, but instead ended up working odd jobs. As he continued to use, he stayed with friends and relatives but had no permanent address of his own. In 1989, he received a 15-year sentence for drug possession and served 10 years in prison.

An incident in 2018 would change the course of his life. While under the influence of drugs, Johnson was seeing visions and hearing voices that encouraged him to take his own life. That’s when he received a well-timed phone call from his HUD-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program counselor.

She convinced him to meet her at a VA hospital where he was quickly admitted. He stayed there for six weeks before going to Veterans Village of San Diego Rehabilitation Center, a Supportive Services for Veteran Families grantee and Grant and Per Diem housing provider that helps Veterans overcome homelessness, addiction and unemployment.

For the first four months, Johnson slept in his clothes convinced he shouldn’t get comfortable because he didn’t need to be there.

But one morning, he realized he felt different. He felt sober, something he hadn’t experienced in a very long time. During his 18-month stay, he discovered this better way to live and has been clean ever since.

A new direction

Johnson also found a calling helping others like him during his stay at Veterans Village. He started running a Narcotics Anonymous meeting, which over time grew from 10 people to standing room only.

With his HUD-VASH housing voucher reinstated, he was connected with Homeless Veterans Community Employment Services (HVCES) through VA San Diego Health Care. He received vocational enrichment, compensated work training and other services through their Wellness and Vocational Enrichment clinic’s transitional work program.

From there, he knew he wanted a career supporting other Veterans. With the encouragement of Nadirah Sahar, a HUD-VASH employment specialist and his supervisor Shelly Mae Smith, Johnson used funding from the San Diego Housing Commission to become a CNA. He recently marked his one-year anniversary with VA.

In addition to his work at VA, he writes and sings Christian music, is an elder in his church, and will soon begin a part-time position at Veterans Village as a Veteran Services Ambassador.

Whenever he can, he continues to spread the word to other Veterans that there is a way out of addiction and there is always a chance to begin again.

Learn about VA programs 

• If you are a Veteran who is homeless or at risk for homelessness, call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-4AID-VET (877-424-3838).
• Visit the VA Homeless Programs website to learn about housing initiatives and other programs for Veterans exiting homelessness. 
• Check out the Ending Veteran Homelessness podcast to learn more about what VA is doing about Veteran homelessness. 
• Learn how to get involved with housing homeless Veterans.
• Subscribe to the Homeless Programs Office newsletter to receive monthly updates about programs and supportive services for Veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness.