In the two years since his release from prison, Josh Scarberry has made great strides towards a brighter future: reinstating his driver’s license, buying a car, getting married, and graduating from a one-year technology program in lighting and sound. Buying a house in Bristol, Virginia, set a solid foundation for this work.
It is the first stable home Josh has had in decades. He was homeless, sleeping under a bridge and addicted to alcohol and marijuana, before his 12 years of incarceration. But God changed his life in prison and gave him the motivation to create a different future. One of his first steps was becoming a certified peer recovery specialist to help others.
Josh began working on improving his credit rating as soon as he was released, first with a secure credit card and then in the mortgage process with People Incorporated, a 60-year-old community action agency that offers a hand up, not a hand out. He first met with a housing counselor coordinator in November of 2024. After classes in credit counseling, budget counseling, and homebuyers’ education, the house closing occurred in March, 2026.
Two state programs available to People Incorporated clients were integral to the affordability of Josh’s home. Through Virginia Housing’s SPARC program, he qualified for a 1% lower mortgage interest rate. As one of the first low-income beneficiaries of the Virginia Pilot Down Payment Assistance Program, he received a $30,000 loan that’s forgivable after 15 years. The monthly mortgage for his three-bedroom home on a half-acre is less than the rent payment for his previous one-bedroom apartment.
The support from People Incorporated didn’t end with the closing. The new home’s galvanized pipes are creating a water pressure issue, making the washing machine unusable; the staff is seeking grants to replace the pipes. They also referred Josh and his wife, Ashley, to the home weatherization program to increase the home’s insulation. They anticipate rising to the top of the waiting list in the next two years.
Josh has served as a worship leader in prison and now at his church. After his release, he reconnected with Ashley, who has been sober for over five years and teaches Sunday school. To prepare the home for the required inspection for purchase, family members and Christian friends rallied around them, volunteering for days to clean and make needed repairs.