OSHKOSH (NBC 26) — Meeting on the street, Tony and Liz Wills overcame homelessness together. Now, they advocate for change in the community.
- Tony and Liz were each homeless for a year before finding an apartment together in Oshkosh, just days before they got married.
- The couple donates to homeless shelters, buys gifts for Toys for Tots and speaks at city council, advocating for more homeless outreach.
- The Wills’ hope to see an emergency homeless shelter open in Oshkosh this winter.
This summer, Tony and Liz met at the Salvation Army homeless shelter in Sheboygan.
They quickly hit it off and got engaged.
“She’s smart, she’s intelligent,” Tony says. “I love her to death. I love her with all of my heart.”
Tony and Liz had each been homeless for a year, and they would be homeless for another few months before finding their own place.
The couple came to Oshkosh in August, sleeping on the street or in a storage locker.
“Being homeless, you don’t know where your next meal is going to come from,” Liz says.
They were able to stay at the Day by Day shelter for a brief time before finally finding permanent housing, just days before Liz walked down the aisle.
Liz says they relied on their love for each other and their faith in religion to get through the challenges of homelessness.
“I thank God, like he brought us together," she says. "It was a miracle... Church, like I think that’s what got us through.”
Now, the couple advocates for those experiencing homelessness in Oshkosh– speaking at city council, donating to the shelters and shopping for Toys for Tots.
“Now being able to have a place, I still care for the homeless,” Liz says. “People are going to get frost bit, like we need a warming shelter in Oshkosh, and I keep praying to God about it.”
Tony says he hopes to see more compassion for the homeless in Oshkosh.
“Me I would say okay well if you’re judging that person, go walk in their shoes for two days or three days or a week and go see how that feels,” he says.
