This story is from a current enrollee in NAPCA programs in Houston, TX.

BingTsun Yeung
Facility operation and maintenance staff, Chinese Community Center, Houston

BingTsun Yeung and his wife decided to immigrate to  the United States in 2017 with the excitement to settle in Houston,  where they had immediate families. However, after the excitement of the  relocation subsided, BingTsun found himself feeling stress about finding  jobs and housing. Job opportunities were not as readily available, and  the lack of rental history made it more difficult to find a permanent  home. What stressed him out the most was that he did not intend at all  to bring his wife from China to experience hardship in the United  States. After consulting with his family members, he discovered that  their friend had a spare room to offer at a meager price, and thus he  and his wife moved into their home, with the agreement to move out after  a year. In return, BingTsun and his wife got into helping with the  family friend’s restaurant. This arrangement lasted for a short time  since the restaurant went out of business in early 2018, forcing him to look for new opportunities. BingTsun almost lapse into depression, but  his wife was optimistic and always instilled. She would always say, “If  we have less, we’ll eat less. If we have little, we’ll spend little.”

BingTsun and his wife attended a community benefit event one day,  where he hoped they might be able to learn more about services and  programs that are available for seniors. During the event, he spoke to a  SCSEP(Senior Community Service Employment Program) program staff who  invited him to an informational workshop. After determinating his  eligibility and conducting an assessment, the project staff assigned him  to a custodian position at the Chinese Community Center, where he had  the opportunity to practice English and improve communication skills. At the Center, BingTsun excelled at his assignments and was hired as the full-time facility operation and maintenance staff two months later.

As we continue to celebrate 40 years of service, we will share more stories from our seniors, please click here to read more stories. You can also support more seniors like BingTsun and click here to donate now to support the continuing mission of NAPCA.