Deontae Lawson and Ryan Williams are leading a $7.8 million player commitment to provide a unique haven for Tuscaloosa’s elderly homeless population as part of Alabama’s efforts to combat homelessness.

In a bold move that transcends the gridiron, Alabama football stars Deontae Lawson and Ryan Williams are spearheading a $7.8 million player-led initiative to establish a permanent haven for Tuscaloosa’s elderly homeless population. What began as a grassroots dialogue among teammates has blossomed into a transformative project that fuses athletic influence, community compassion, and long-overdue social responsibility.

The University of Alabama’s football program has long been synonymous with national championships, NFL draft picks, and packed Saturdays in Bryant-Denny Stadium. Now, under the leadership of Lawson, a senior linebacker and team captain, and Williams, a freshman wide receiver already hailed as the future face of the Crimson Tide, Alabama football is poised to make a different kind of impact—one that could reshape lives far from the spotlight.

It started, as many powerful things do, with a conversation. Lawson, known for his fierce play on the field and quiet leadership off it, had taken note of the increasing number of elderly individuals living on the streets of downtown Tuscaloosa, particularly near Lurleen Wallace Boulevard and Jack Warner Parkway. One afternoon in early January, he brought it up during a team leadership meeting.

“We talk all the time about how much this community does for us,” Lawson said. “From the fans, the businesses, to the people working game days—Tuscaloosa lifts us up. It didn’t sit right with me to know that some of those same people, maybe even lifelong Tide fans, are out here with no roof over their heads in their senior years.”

Ryan Williams, the early enrollee and five-star receiver from Saraland, was in the room, listening. Though barely 17 at the time, Williams had already demonstrated a maturity beyond his years. He didn’t just agree with Lawson—he began planning.

“I grew up seeing what poverty can do to people,” Williams shared. “I also saw what happens when people are given a second chance. I knew this was something I wanted to be a part of.”

The two athletes reached out to teammates and eventually engaged Alabama’s newly formed “Athletes for Impact” group, a player-driven initiative that combines NIL earnings with charitable efforts across the state.

The result is “Haven House: Crimson Shelter for Dignity,” a planned housing community specifically designed for Tuscaloosa’s elderly homeless. The facility, to be built on a 10-acre plot near the edge of town, will feature 45 private efficiency apartments, an on-site medical clinic, mental health counseling services, a meal hall, and a communal garden tended by residents.

With the estimated cost totaling $7.8 million, Alabama’s football players have pledged a mix of NIL revenue, donor-matched funds, and personal contributions. As of April 2025, over $5.3 million has already been secured, with the remainder expected by the end of summer.

“People talk about name, image, and likeness as if it’s just for chains and cars,” Lawson said. “But we see it as power—power to uplift, to rebuild, to reimagine what community care looks like.”

Williams, who recently inked a major NIL deal with a national athletic apparel brand, committed $250,000 of his own money to the project, making him the youngest player on the team to contribute at that level.

The Haven House project stands out not just for its scope but for its philosophy. Rather than acting as a temporary shelter, the facility is being designed with permanence in mind. Working with local nonprofits, architects, and the UA College of Social Work, the player-led team emphasized dignity, autonomy, and long-term wellness.

“This is not a flop house or a pit stop,” said Dr. Kendra Holt, a UA professor and housing consultant on the project. “This is a home. We’re building a community where people who’ve been forgotten can find healing, purpose, and peace.”

Residents will be selected through a partnership with the Tuscaloosa Housing Authority and local shelters, prioritizing seniors over 60 who have been unhoused for more than six months. Each resident will be given a social worker, access to job training (where applicable), and a personalized wellness plan.

“This is the first project of its kind in the SEC,” said Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox. “What Lawson, Williams, and these young men are doing will ripple through this city for decades. This isn’t just a story about sports—it’s a story about heart, leadership, and Alabama pride.”

While the project is driven by the athletes, the University of Alabama has lent its full support, helping facilitate zoning approvals, offering land-use assistance, and committing university clinics and counseling interns to the facility once completed.

Head Coach Kalen DeBoer praised the initiative during spring practice.

“These young men are doing what leaders do—they’re identifying a problem and attacking it head-on,” DeBoer said. “This is not just about football. It’s about being champions in life. I couldn’t be prouder of this group.”

The players’ efforts have also inspired alumni involvement. Former Crimson Tide stars such as Julio Jones, Mark Ingram, and Tua Tagovailoa have offered donations, endorsements, or pledged to match portions of the remaining fundraising goal.

“Deontae and Ryan are setting a new bar,” said Ingram. “When we were here, we wanted to win rings. Now these young brothers are winning for the community too.”

The emergence of NIL has sparked passionate debate nationwide. Critics argue it creates imbalances, commercialization, and distractions for student-athletes. But Haven House challenges that narrative. This is NIL reimagined—not as vanity, but as vehicle.

“People act like we don’t care or we’re just here to make a buck,” said senior lineman Kadyn Proctor, another donor to the project. “But this right here shows what we’re about. NIL gives us the platform—but our values give us purpose.”

Lawson and Williams are also using the platform to advocate for broader change, recently speaking at a local housing summit and pushing for increased attention to senior homelessness in Alabama’s state legislature.

Part of the passion fueling the project comes from personal connections. Lawson revealed that his grandmother was once at risk of homelessness after Hurricane Katrina displaced their extended family in Mississippi. Williams shared that a former youth coach in Mobile ended up living in a car after losing his job during the pandemic.

“Knowing people who had their lives turned upside down—it hits different,” Williams said. “We’re trying to build something that says: you matter. Even when the world moves on, we’re not going to forget you.”

The public response has been overwhelmingly positive. Community members have flooded the players’ social media with praise, and a GoFundMe tied to the project raised $125,000 in its first three days. Local businesses have also stepped up, pledging supplies, food, and volunteer hours once construction begins this fall.

“Tuscaloosa is a city with a big heart,” Mayor Maddox said. “This project reflects the best of us—students, athletes, leaders, and neighbors working as one.”

While Haven House is still in its planning phase, it is already being discussed as a model that other college athletic programs could follow. Lawson and Williams say they’ve been contacted by players from Texas, Oregon, and Michigan asking for guidance on starting similar initiatives.

“It doesn’t stop here,” Lawson said. “If we can prove it works—if we can show that athletes can be the difference-makers in their cities—then why not every school? Why not every team?”

Construction is set to begin in September, with an official groundbreaking ceremony already being planned that will include Alabama coaches, elected officials, former players, and residents of current shelters who are set to be future tenants.

The facility is expected to open its doors by August 2026.

In a program known for producing legends, what Deontae Lawson and Ryan Williams are building in Tuscaloosa may end up as one of Alabama football’s greatest legacies. Not because it resulted in a trophy, but because it delivered hope.

Hope to the unseen. Help to the forgotten. And dignity to those who gave their best years to the same streets they now walk alone.

“This is the kind of win that never fades,” Lawson said, reflecting on the journey so far. “One day, long after the games are over, I want to come back here and see someone smiling on that front porch—someone who got a second chance because we cared enough to act.”

In Tuscaloosa, the roar of football will never fade. But now, alongside the echoes of Saturday cheers, will stand a quieter legacy—built on compassion, community, and Crimson Tide heart.