William McMillian

Conyers, Georgia (Senate District 43)

Alpha House is a Conyers-based group home run by View Point Health. Alpha House is home to William McMillian, a 62 year old man with bipolar disorder and unspecified developmental disability. William was born in Atlanta, but at six his parents sent him to live in a home in Milledgeville for people who had behavioral health disorders, mental health disorders, and developmental disabilities. William says that his childhood “was the happiest time in my life. I loved going on field trips to see the Braves, the Hawks, and the Falcons,” he reminisces. “We also went out of state to see teams play in Arkansas and New York. I also did the Special Olympics. I was a weight lifter. I could lift 350 lbs.,” he says proudly.

William returned to Atlanta at 19, when he got his GED and began a life of work interrupted periodically with arrest and incarceration. In addition to bipolar disorder and developmental disability, William is a recovering alcoholic. Although he’s been sober for 22 years, he struggled with addiction and bouts of mania that led to his involvement with the criminal justice system. Now he goes faithfully to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, worships at Rockdale Baptist Church, and fills his life with enriching, healthy activities. (Story continues below after slideshow.)

Throughout his life, William has participated in several day programs and vocational rehab, including job coaching. Because of this, he has worked several jobs, most of which he enjoyed a lot. “I’ve had jobs at a paper factory, Kroger, and Picadilly Deli,” he recounts. “I worked at Kroger for ten years. It was a good job. My manager told me I was good at my job and promoted me to assistant manager.” At this time, he says he was taking his medications, getting treatment at a Buckhead mental health center, and living in Peachtree Hills. After Kroger, he worked at Picadilly. He thrived at Picadilly, too, moving from dishwasher to front line cook, and then to assistant manager. 

At some point, William got into trouble with drugs, went to rehab, and was released on probation. He served his sentence at the former Metro Correctional Institute. The last time he was released, he became a ward of the state and was sent to Georgia Regional Hospital at Savannah (GRHS), a state-funded multi-service facility operated by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities. 

While William has had numerous arrests and stints in jails and prisons throughout his life, he says “people were good to me.” William feels fortunate that he’s had so many people he’s encountered who have treated him well and helped him. Despite his periods of mania, “I never felt misunderstood until I got addicted to alcohol,” he says. He’s grateful for the social worker he had at GRHS who helped him get SNAP benefits, SSI income, and a NOW/COMP Waiver. Perhaps most importantly to William, the social worker helped him get into Alpha House.

Almost two years ago, William moved to Alpha House, a residential program run by View Point Health. Here, William lives with three other men and the home provides 24/7 staff and support. The home has a van, and the staff take the on outings like going bowling, one of William’s favorites. The staff also help them cook in the home’s kitchen, assist with administering medication, and generally help them maintain a community connection. De’Andre, one of the staff, is his main helper. They play pool in the basement and he takes William to activities and programs around the area. William regularly goes to his AA meetings at Salem New Life, and is getting a new sponsor soon. He also goes to a day treatment center called New Rock, which provides treatment or his co-occurring disorders. Once a month he visits his mother, who is 100 years old, and sometimes his niece Karen comes to visit. He takes part in his favorite activities like shopping, movies, coloring flowers and drawing, preparing meals, watching sports, reading, and writing letters to his mom. Currently he is planning a party for his birthday on January 4, and he hopes his two nieces and nephew will come. 

Before he goes back to planning his birthday party, William also has something to say to his elected officials. He’s never spoken to one before, but he says he wants to. “I hope they will continue the program and supporting people like me,” he states. “I also want to go to Washington and have Trump sign legislation to help people with developmental disabilities and mental health issues, and to the Governor’s mansion.” William says he hopes Trump “will consider people with bipolar and developmental disorder.” He wants people to know that he is a registered voter and he is willing to share his story with others and help make the world a better place. And with that, he excuses himself and goes back to his busy day, surrounded by people who are good to him, activities he loves, and a sense of satisfaction. 

Writer: Betty Barnard, Photographer: Haylee Fucini-Lenkey