"Never Going Back"
March 22, 2024
âI was beat down, sleeping in a tent, drinking. I had nowhere to go, no pupose to continue living,â said Michael, a current City Mission resident. âI was drinking myself into submission, and that was alright with me. Thatâs what I did all my lifeâŚThen, I saw a sign on a bus that said âCity Mission, Hope for the Homeless.ââ Before he came to City Mission, Michael was living in a tent near the Wild Things stadium in Washington. Alcohol had derailed his life. He had just lost his job, the only lifeline he had left. His daughter hadnât spoken to him in months. So he got on a bus to head back to Pittsburgh, with no real idea what he was going to do next, when he saw a flyer that said, âCity Mission: Hope for the Homeless.â He asked the bus driver about us, and the bus he was riding actually had a stop at the Mission. So Michael got off the bus and sat out front on his cooler of beer in front of our chapel, drinking up the courage to ask for help. âWhen youâre in addiction, you donât like to ask for help,â he explained. Before long, Jared Nolan, City Missionâs RSS Supervisor, and Dave Green, our Menâs Intake Coordinator, came out and asked him if he needed anything. âJared and Dave saved my life,â Michael said. When he came to City Mission, he was expecting a dark, open area filled with cots and a rowdy bunch of drunk guys fighting over stuff. But when he came to the Mission, he found a place filled with light. âIt wasnât what I expected at all,â he explained. âThere were dorms with sober people who were offering to help me out rather than take what I had. People came up to me and said, âif you need anything, let me know.ââ He didnât have many clothes, so the Mission let him go through a donation bin and pick out anything he wanted. Later, he was given a clothing voucher to pick out whatever he needed at our Thrift Store. âI wasnât sure I was gonna stay. I didnât have anything,â he said. âBut the Mission took care of me. They got me food, hygiene products, a bed, a hot shower, everything I needed.â The Mission took care of him, so he stayed. Michael grew up in Carnegie the youngest of five kids, being raised by a single Mom. His dad left the family shortly after he was born. When he was 12, his mom sent him away to boarding school in Hershey, PA, where he lived for four years, going to school and working on a dairy farm that helped to produce the milk for Hersheyâs chocolate. His mom sent him away to school so that he would have a better start in life than his older brothers. Unfortunately, when he was 16, he started drinking alcohol, because his friends at school were doing it. He left the school and moved back home, but his mom was busy working all the time, so he was left on his own a lot. He did get a job working for a roofing company. He worked really hard, and he made good money. He continued to do that work for more than two decades. He worked hard, and then he drank hard as a way of celebrating his hard work. In 2004, he met his wife, and they had a baby together. He loved being a dad. âDeep inside, I always wanted a family,â he said. âWhen my daughter was born, I thought a lot about her future. There were things I thought about back then that I really wanted to become a reality.â In 2018, his wife left, and he became a single dad. In 2020, when the COVID lockdown happened, he was laid off from his job, and he started receiving unemployment. At the same time, his daughter was home from school, learning remotely. He had nothing to do but sit home and drink, so thatâs what he did all the time, every day. When his unemployment benefits dried up, he tried to go back to work, but he couldnât quit drinking, so he couldnât hold down any jobs. Eventually, there were no roofing companies left that would hire him. His daughter moved out when she graduated high school, because she couldnât stand to be around his drinking. He lost his house and started living on friendsâ couches. Eventually, he ended up living in a tent in Washington, PA. After he came to City Mission, he started seeing things differently. âI never considered myself very likeable,â he explained. âI just thought I was a bad person. I tried to hide from people my whole life. City Mission is teaching me I can love myself. I do have purpose. I just have to work on it to better myself. Iâm never gonna be perfect, but if I just keep working on it, I can be a good person that people can trust, that people can count on.â Last November, he missed his daughterâs birthday. She hadnât spoken to him and didnât really want him around. It was incredibly hard for Michael, because he had never missed her birthday before. When Christmastime rolled around, City Mission House Coordinator, Matt Chase, asked him what he was going to get for his daughter for Christmas. âNothing,â he answered. âI donât have anything to give her.â Matt took him up to the City Mission attic where we store all of our donations that canât be used right away. Michael picked out a whole bag full of Christmas gifts he thought she would like. âHow are you going to get it to her,â Matt asked. âI donât know,â Michael told him. âI know where she works, but I donât have any way to get there.â The next morning, Matt drove him to Carnegie. She wasnât at work that day, but he was able to leave the presents there for her. The next morning, she video-called him on the phone to tell him thank you and to say she was sorry for not talking to him and that she was glad he was getting the help he needs. It was the first time he had seen her face in nine months. âIâll never forget that,â Michael said. âI still get emotional when I think about it. It gives me hope that maybe someday, I can do something that special for somebody.â âI pray a lot since coming here,â he continued. âI ask God to keep me safe, to keep my daughter safe. And these prayers are being answered by people stepping up to help me. God put me here to give me a second chance. I really believe that. Iâm going to make Washington my home. Iâm never going back to Carnegie. Iâm not going back to my old way of life. Iâve come too far, and Iâve seen how good life can be.â Now, Michael has a job that he loves where he can give back. He gets to see his daughter, and he talks to her regularly. His life is turning around. His future is bright. You can help Michael and many more here at City Mission to continue their journeys of life-transformation. Visit www.citymission.org/donate to learn more about how you can help.
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