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OUTSTANDING PARTNER
Housing Counselor Understands
the Importance of Being a Homeowner
JOEL DOWNEY
“I’ve done a lot of counseling, helping people get jobs and the services that they needed,” Joel said. “But it never seemed to change their lives as much as getting a house does.”
Joel Downey, 47, is not only a housing counselor but a home builder too.
“I built my own house on the farm where I grew up,” Joel said. “I hired a crew to do the foundation and framing, then my Father, Grandfather and I did the rest.”
Joel, originally from Mobile, Alabama, moved to a farm in the Hattiesburg area with his parents, brother and two sisters when he was 6 years old. Since that move, he has not left Hattiesburg.
He received his bachelor’s degree in sociology, philosophy and religion from the University of Southern Mississippi (USM). He then began work as a vocational counselor for Pine Belt Mental Health, where he worked for 11 years.
Joel then decided to pursue a different type of counseling. He began work at Housing Alternatives of Hattiesburg as a housing counselor, where he has been since 1999.
Changing people’s lives begins with good counseling and there is more to good counseling than just sitting with people while they talk. According to Joel, he is good at his job because he truly listens.
“I try to listen, when people tell their stories; I try to sort out what matters and what needs to be left behind,” Joel said. “When people keep repeating what a mess they are in, they tend to concentrate on the negative, rather than what they need to do to get out of it.”
As a housing counselor, Joel has found something that he enjoys and something that truly makes a difference in people’s lives.
“In many ways a home defines the family,” Joel said. “Homeownership offers stability that most of these families have never known. For the first time, they own something of value that gives them pride and a reason to think about the future rather than living month to month.”
In May, Joel married Dr. Laura Hall, professor of Community Health Sciences at USM. They do not have a family yet, but they do understand the importance of owning a home and that understanding is apparent in the good work that Joel does.