From Recovery to Giving Back: Tim’s Story
Tim consulting an Alafia resident.
When Timothy “Tim” Evans walks into work each day as a Harm Reduction Specialist at Services for the UnderServed (S:US), he brings lived experience to his consultations.
The people he supports see someone who understands substance use recovery, homelessness, and trauma. Today, Tim uses those experiences to help others rebuild their own lives, but reaching this point required years of healing and a community that believed in him when he was still learning to believe in himself.
Growing up in Brooklyn, Tim’s life was shaped by instability from an early age. Foster care, homelessness, and substance use, left lasting mental health trauma that followed him into adulthood.
Despite everything he experienced, Tim never lost hope that life could look different. That hope became reality in 2021 when he made the decision to seek help after years of active substance use.
“That last day that I was using [substances], something in me that told me, ‘oh, this can’t be it.’ I was sleeping under a bench… [when I woke up] I went to my mother’s house and when she opened the door, I said, ‘Mom, I’m ready [to start my recovery].’ And she looked at me. She was like, ‘I can see it in your face.'”
Substance use treatment marked the beginning of his recovery. As he worked to rebuild his life, he was also recovering from serious workplace injuries that left him unable to work and managing ongoing physical and mental health challenges.
After entering recovery, Tim faced another critical challenge: finding stable housing and support to build a new life. Through a referral, Tim moved into Genesis Plaza, an S:US supportive housing residence in Brooklyn. It became a place where he felt accepted and encouraged to imagine a different future.
“The people that work here in the building welcomed me as if I was family. They saw more in me, which gave me inspiration to do more.”
In addition to having a safe roof under his head, Tim received supportive services including mental health services, wellness coaching, counseling, and connections to education and employment resources. Staff helped him schedule and attend medical and mental health appointments, stay on track with his recovery treatment, and furnish his apartment so it felt like a home. As he began planning for the future, they supported him through job applications, connected him with employment opportunities, and encouraged him to take on leadership roles within the Genesis community. He organized men’s health workshops on topics such as colon cancer screenings and hosted informational tables featuring resources from the Real Dads Network, helping fellow residents access family support while developing his own skills as an advocate and community leader. With a strong support system behind him, Tim was able to focus on his recovery.
As his confidence grew, so did his desire to give back. Ashley King, Genesis Program Director, recognized Tim’s potential long before he saw it himself and encouraged him to pursue peer specialist training, which prepares people with lived experience of mental health, substance use, or other life challenges to support others on their recovery journeys.
“Ashley has been a huge impact on my life. She has been there every step of the way. She’s been like a friend. And now she’s a coworker.”
The training program guided Tim to process and heal the trauma he had spent years carrying. Living with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety made being around large groups difficult, but the support of his classmates and instructors helped him discover that his experiences could become a source of strength and guidance for others.
“Talking about it with my peers, it really helped me get through it. The career coaches also helped cultivate my skills as a peer specialist.”
For the first time, Tim saw that the hardships he had endured could help someone else heal.
Today, that perspective shapes every interaction he has with the people he serves at S:US’ Alafia, an affordable and supportive housing community in East New York. Rather than seeing himself as someone with all the answers, he meets people where they are because he understands what it feels like to be in their position.
“Being a peer specialist is what helped me navigate a lot of trauma that I was dealing with. My lived experience helps me connect with the tenants more because I’m allowed to express myself and be my authentic self. I’m not above them. I’m just there to help guide.”
Working for S:US had long been one of Tim’s goals. Becoming part of the organization that helped him rebuild his own life gave him the next step toward stability.
What began as a desire to help others at S:US eventually grew into a broader mission. Drawing from his own experiences growing up without a stable family structure, Tim founded B.R.I.D.G.E.—Building Resilience, Integrity, Development, Growth and Empowerment—to mentor young people and strengthen families affected by trauma and the child welfare system.
“Being in foster care myself, I don’t want to see young men go through what I went through. I didn’t have a family structure when I grew up. And now that I have put myself in a position where I do have a family structure, I’m very proud of myself. I’m able to raise my children with my wife.”
Among his many achievements, Tim authored a memoir “Stop Asking Why, Start Asking How to Rebuild Your Life.” He also contracts with New York City’s Administration for Children’s Services (ACS), works with Real Dads Network, writes nationally about child welfare through Youth Voices Rising by The Imprint, and was honored with the 2026 Casey Excellence for Children Award (CECA) for his community leadership. Yet his vision continues to grow.
“What I hope to see in my future moving forward is prosperity. I want to expand my business. Hopefully, I can get funding to have a facility of my own one day.”
Looking back, Tim sees the support he received from S:US as the foundation that allowed everything else to follow. Housing gave him stability. Wellness services supported his recovery. Education opened new opportunities. Employment allowed him to give back to the very community that once supported him. Most importantly, he found a place where he belonged, “By treating me like family, S:US made me feel like I belong.” For people rebuilding their lives, that sense of stability, opportunity, and connection can be transformative. Through the support of donors, community partners, and advocates, S:US helps people access the housing, services, and encouragement they need to move beyond crisis and build brighter futures.
Today, Tim’s impact extends far beyond himself. Every person he supports at S:US, every person he mentors through B.R.I.D.G.E., and every father he encourages carries forward the investment others once made in him.
As Tim reflects on his journey, he hopes supporters recognize the ripple effect that can begin when someone is given the chance to heal, grow, and thrive. “[Services for the UnderServed]’s work is helping people. I mean, look at me. I’m a living example of that.”
Watch Tim share his story
