The trajectory of Kacy West’s life changed when she met Vince Taylor.
After previously spending 10 years in middle management at a manufacturing company, West heard about a volunteer opportunity to do a camp cleanup in April 2019. That’s when she met Taylor, who was experiencing homelessness.
A gentle man in his 30s with an endearing smile and ubiquitous camo clothing — he would love a military surplus store, West noted — Taylor immediately gave the big, scary problem of homelessness a human face, West said. Six months after meeting Taylor, West quit her job, and two months after that, she started working street outreach. In January, Taylor was found dead, West said.
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“That was one of the worst days I’ve ever had at this job,” West, who now acts as the street outreach coordinator at the Chatt Foundation, said in an interview.