After three months of sleeping on an air mattress, Lillie Mae Choyce came home Friday afternoon to a fully-furnished home, complete with pictures of her far-flung family and a fully outfitted kitchen.
“It was a big surprise, I like everything,” Choyce said as she walked through a Marquette Park apartment she barely recognized. “This is too nice…thank you Jesus,” she said. “Yes, yes, yes…this is what I want.”
It’s been a rough road for the 63-year-old Army Veteran who was left homeless after a friend she was staying with died.
“I didn’t know what I was going to do,” said Choyce, who now has a job with FedEx. “I was living out of my car.”
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Choyce remembered admitting this new home is a big change from that.
The kitchen and everything else in this one-bedroom Marquette Park apartment was provided by Humble Design, a non-profit that helps veterans and others make the transition from homelessness.
All the furniture and accessories are donated, then arranged by Humble Design's staff of designers, movers and volunteers.
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“We have eight people on staff,” said Julie Dickenson, the group’s driving force.
“Four people who are movers, two who are design support…Yeah. It's a small staff,” Dickenson said.
As for Choyce, she said she finally feels at home.
“I like the way she has got it set up,” Choyce said. “Especially the bedroom. I am going to sleep comfortable tonight.”
There is one final touch: a service plaque handmade by Julie’s father, who himself is a Navy veteran. It's a plaque that makes this Veterans Day one this woman, who served her country overseas, will think of now that she calls Chicago home.
