A Hudson Valley man who was once homeless and addicted to drugs is sharing his road to recovery, including how he became postmaster.

Clarence "Thomas" Carson, 64, says he started drinking and doing drugs when he was 16. Carson said it eventually led to homelessness and an addiction to crack-cocaine.

The Hillcrest man, who was homeless in the 1990s and living beneath a tunnel, is now the Cross River postmaster.

"They appointed me officer in charge on Oct. 19, 2016,” he says.  It was the same day five years earlier that he was reunited with his long-lost daughter. The reunion was also featured on the front page of a newspaper with another story about Cross River on the same day.

"When I heard Cross River, I pulled out this paper and I'm like oh my God – Oct.19, 2011 - the day we actually met and at this point, I knew there was a reason for me to be here,” he says.