Coffee With Bill Okwuosa, The Big Man At Homeless Shelter

Bill Okwuosa is not big, he's massive. If someone told you he was playing right tackle for the New York Giants on Sunday, you'd probably ask if he was going to the Pro Bowl, too. The executive director of the wears a size 60 suit coat and has been blessed with broad shoulders that seem to stretch from  to which is a good thing. Okwuosa has to carry the weight of the growing homeless problem in the city.

"We are overpopulated and it's getting worse," said , who has been with the shelter for one year. "We need money. Six months from now, we could be down to zero dollars and then what will happen? All those people will be out on the street and there will be real problems. I'm crying out for help from city officials. We need funding. I cannot do it without their help."

Okwuosa has always done things differently in his life. A Nigerian who was born and raised in London, England, Okwuosa's father, a lawyer, moved the family to the Hartford area after his son finished high school in 1989. Okwuosa went to Southern Connecticut State University before starting a career in criminal justice and working in corrections at a prison in New Haven. With his marriage crumbling and living a life without purpose, Okwuosa did something drastic.

"I drove up to a homeless shelter in New Haven," said Okwuosa, 39. "I had never been uncomfortable in my life. I wanted to feel uncomfortable and see what it was like. I wanted to humble myself and see who I was. I didn't like how I was treated. I was spat on and yelled at. I said if I ever have a chance to work for a shelter, I'm going to change how the homeless are treated."

That experience changed Okwuosa's life and he discovered what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. He went back to school and earned a degree in criminal justice and human services from Springfield College in 2005. Three years later, Okwuosa became the director of the homeless shelter in Meriden. in 2011, he took over the .

"It was mess when I got here, a real big mess," he said. "We started the Hope Works program and thanks to donors like and , we made a lot of improvements to the building. There is a career center with new computers and everything has been cleaned up."

Okwuosa is equal parts Norman Vincent Peale, Anthony Robbins, and Joel Osteen. He is full of energy and a positive thinker. According to Okwuosa, life is to be lived and not for people who want to feel sorry for themselves.

"I don't want to see anyone here longer than six months," he said. "I love my job, I love my staff, and I love it here. This is what I live for, to help people. I want to give these people hope, the skills, and the confidence to get back into the world and make it. They can do it. I know they can. I believe in myself and I believe in them."