In the warm Alabama sun, a quiet figure sits at the shore of a lake, a fishing rod in hand and his dog, Shadow, resting by his side. The breeze carries the smell of freshly cut grass, and the occasional plunk of a lure breaking the surface is the only sound that marks the time.
This is where Audrey feels most at home. While the years he spent steering through open ocean and loading cargo at remote ports have sailed into distant memory, Audrey, a Navy veteran and former Merchant Marine seaman, still finds himself drawn to the water’s edge. Today, that’s no longer the restless waves of the North Atlantic or the luminous depths of the Mediterranean, but the calm lapping of Lake Cochran behind Highpoint Apartments on the outskirts of Prichard, AL, where he now lives out his senior years.
“When I came here, I saw the lake,” he says with a chuckle, “and said, ‘This is where I want to be, right here.’”
Highpoint Apartments, where Audrey has lived since 2019, is a 58-unit, three-story apartment complex for senior citizens aged 62 and over in Mobile County. Operated by VOA Southeast, Highpoint provides affordable housing for seniors who meet income requirements and partners with local church and community organizations to help residents thrive.
The apartments on the first floor are all designed for residents with disabilities, featuring handicap-accessible walk-in showers and other accommodations for seniors with mobility issues.
From Setbacks to Stability
After a lifetime of work first as a Sailor in the U.S. Navy, then in the Merchant Marine, and later in construction across the Gulf Coast, Audrey found himself facing challenges he had never imagined in his younger years. Years of lifting, hauling, and long days on his feet took their toll, leaving him with chronic back problems that ultimately required surgery. At 64, the construction work he had relied on to support himself was no longer possible, and he was forced into an early retirement. He also needed treatment for cancer, both of the prostate and under his tongue.
But his sense of duty didn’t end when his career did. Disabled and forced to deal with limited mobility, he moved to Montgomery to help his sister after she lost her home to foreclosure. Later, he spent time living with his other sister in Tallahassee, Florida, trying to find stability in the midst of his own struggles.
Feeling the pull to return home to the Mobile area, he sought out the support of VOA Southeast. Through our help, he got a spot at Eagle’s Landing, a community that provides transitional housing for veterans who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness.
There Audrey began the next chapter of his life, with the same quiet perseverance and infectious good spirits that had carried him through storms at sea and hardships on land. After a year and a half at Eagle’s Landing and through VOA Southeast’s support, Audrey is now able to live independently at Highpoint Apartments, where he’s become a fixture of the community. He’s always outside, pitching in to help his neighbors—and even taking care of the local wildlife.
“He loves nature,” says the property manager at Highpoint, LaShaunda Wells. “He’s very nurturing.” She recalled a time Audrey helped free a bird near the lake that had gotten its foot stuck in some fishing line.
“Whenever anyone needs help, I know I can rely on him,” she said.
The Crisis of Affordable Housing
The lack of affordable housing has reached crisis levels all over the United States. A 2025 report by the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) found there’s a shortage of over 7.1 million units for extremely low-income renters nationwide. Many people spend far more than they can safely afford on rent, sacrificing health care, food, utilities, or going without altogether.
The challenges are even greater when it comes to seniors and individuals with disabilities. Over the past 25 years, the number of senior households considered severely cost-burdened (i.e., spending 50% or more of their monthly income on rent) has nearly doubled—from about 5.2 million to almost 11.7 million households. Older adults living on fixed incomes (such as Social Security, pensions, etc.), face increased medical and mobility expenses, and are less able to take on additional financial burdens.
Nationwide, the average rent for a one bedroom apartment is about $1,400 a month. That’s more than $400 more than what nearly 4 million disabled Americans receive per month in Social Security Income (SSI). Even in the least expensive counties in Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi, the average cost of an efficiency apartment is still greater than 65% of SSI.
Housing and Healthcare
For seniors especially, housing and healthcare are inseparably linked. Without secure housing, older adults are more likely to skip medications, delay doctor visits, or forgo healthy meals in order to pay rent. Unsafe or unstable living conditions can also worsen chronic illnesses, increase the risk of falls, and lead to hospitalizations that could have been prevented. Studies show that seniors who have access to affordable housing paired with supportive services experience lower healthcare costs and better health outcomes overall.
At VOA Southeast, providing safe, affordable homes for seniors is one of the most effective ways we keep seniors in our community safe and healthy. We own, manage, or operate over 200 affordable housing communities with over 2,700 units across Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi. Over a third of those units are set aside for seniors who meet age (62+) and income requirements (less than 50% of the Area Median Income for the county—that’s $28,550 or less for a one-person household in Mobile County).
Help Seniors Live in Safety and Dignity
Everyone deserves a place to call home. At VOA Southeast, we’re committed to ensuring that people from all walks of life can access safe, affordable housing.
Our programs touched the lives of over 57,000 people last year: from seniors and veterans in need, to people struggling with addiction and mental health challenges, to people living with life-altering physical and developmental disabilities. VOA Southeast’s services help people find the stability and security they need to not just recover but flourish.
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