The Impact of Stepping On Up

by Jen Blight

Mike left his apartment in the last week of June because he had had enough. He decided that he’d rather be homeless; his place of four-and-a-half years started to feel like a jail and he never wanted to go home. Bad neighbors propped the security door open, inviting in drug users and people with mental health issues. There were people dealing meth and heroin out of one of the bedroom windows on the lower level, and cops pounding on the door at all hours. Mike was upset and fearful to advocate for himself, the landlord wasn’t fixing the problems he had brought up, things were getting progressively worse. When Mike said, “I’m out of here,” he Googled homeless services in the area, and got great results. Having heard of Chum, he clicked on the website where he learned about the Safe Bay lot at the Damiano Center. Mike felt fortunate he gets social security and had a vehicle—he felt that he could make the decision to live in his auto until he found a more habitable place.

Mike found a “parking lot full of nice people” that were non-judgmental, he made friends with the staff, volunteers and the other people that slept in their cars overnight. Mike felt bad for the people that sleep on the streets and in tents in Duluth, they “come to the lot to use the biffy or the sharps container late at night”, but, he states, he felt safe in his car. While reading his tablet, “staff watched over the parking lot, asking people to leave if they lingered or got too close to the cars. I slept great; the seat reclines all the way back.”

He said he didn’t use the showers much at the Damiano Centers hygiene unit because they have the 3 steps up and it hurt his knees to get there, he’s a big guy and “it was too cramped”. He preferred the Chum drop-in shelter showers because he could walk into them easier. But, he states, “I’ve never been to jail, and I imagine the showers are the same, with the push button timer for the water. Some of the staff didn’t understand it took him a while because of his handicap and size, “it takes a lot of effort to get this body clean,” he laughed, “one day they got upset because it took me almost 45 minutes to

shave and everything, they were pounding on the door,” he smiled and lifted his big arms up, “I just made it work, and…, I never looked homeless when I lived in my car.”

He often would park at Leif Erickson Park during the day, where he would read Quora and other books online. Mike has an extensive vocabulary and a passion for learning; politics and psychology are his two favorite subjects. Mike never pays for lunch anymore, from this experience, he now knows about all the free meal services in the area and utilizes them when he is out and about at appointments because he lives on a budget. The Salvation Army, the Damiano, and Union Gospel Mission all have pretty good food he says, “you cannot go hungry in this city”.

Mikes new apartment is a great fit for him. His son found it for him on the internet. The monthly rent of $1000 has heat and electricity included, nice furnishings, a fridge, microwave, TV, cable, internet, and a “large enough, walk in shower” for him. The complex is managed 24-7 and “done well”, he says, it’s all one level and the doors are close to his parking spot, and thankfully he doesn’t need to shovel. The formerly homeless man says his “life doesn’t have many more firsts left” and he was happy with what he learned while living in his automobile. An added bonus of staying in his vehicle was he was able to pay off a little debt from the rents saved. Even though, “a car is a conveyance, not a home,” Mike wanted the experience, “before, I was too busy living and working, raising my family, and paying the bills to even know about people who were homeless. I found empathy.”

Stepping on Up's Website