Former homeless veteran finds job helping others

Meet U.S. Army veteran Burney Burke

MIAMI – U.S. Army veteran Burney Burke found himself turning to drugs and alcohol after serving overseas in Germany.

"Right now to this day, before I pull on a pair of pants I have to starch them," Burke said. "I make sure I have a crease in my pants and my shoes shined."

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Burke said his time in the U.S. Army stationed in Germany left him with a life-long lesson in discipline. Unfortunately, after he got out of the service and returned home, drugs and alcohol replaced it.

"Around about 1982 I got addicted to crack cocaine, and once I did that it was all she wrote, you know," Burke said. "I spent the next 10 years with all my focus on getting high (and) chasing crack cocaine.'

The homeless veteran led what he called a life of shame on the streets of Opa-locka.

"It is a scary life. It is a lonely life," Burke said about being homeless. "You would be up all night and the sun comes up and you see all the people getting up to go to work, and that's when all that guilt and shame come in."

Then on May 5 1992 his life changed forever. Burke entered rehab, kicked his addictions and has been clean ever since. After completing the New Directions program, he went back to school and earned his associates degree in social work from Miami Dade College.

For the last 17 years, he has been the housing specialist at the Chapman Partnership, helping homeless people like him find a permanent place to live.

His favorite part of the job is taking clients into their warehouse to pick out things they need for their new home and he knows people can change, because he did.

"Everybody deserves a chance," Burke said. "Everybody deserves a break. Just because you are homeless or have a drug problem, or even a mental health issue, that doesn't make you a bad person."

Veterans in need are urged to call the veterans homeless hotline at 1-877-994-HELP. Landlords willing to donate apartments to veterans are asked to call 305-499-VETS.

To make a cash donation to help veterans in need visit www.411veterans.com.

The Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust Director Vicotoria Mallette said they had 189 landlord leads from the Local 10 News live phone bank.