One Paycheck Away: A Closer Look at Homelessness in Milwaukee
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United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County

One Paycheck Away: A Closer Look at Homelessness in Milwaukee

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October 22, 2014

“I could probably give you a tour of the whole building,” he said, somewhat quietly, as we walked to the Alumni Memorial Union. I had just been paired up with Tom (named changed for confidentiality) as a part of Project Homeless Connect.

Tom told me that he had worked for over a decade laying carpet in most of the buildings on Marquette’s campus. Over the course of the next hour, I would learn much more about his story and the circumstances that led to his experience with being homeless.

One of the first services Tom used was speaking to someone about tickets he had incurred while living in a car along Lake Michigan. Within minutes, he was speaking to a staff member from Justice 2000 and had follow-up contact information to make an appointment so that he could learn about ways to resolve those pending tickets.

As we walked around the student union gathering information and everyday necessities like socks and hygiene products, he started to open up about the last nine years he’s spent on the streets. Back in 2006, his work began to slow and eventually he was laid off. He lost his house, but was able to move in with his girlfriend. When he was unable to pay rent and the relationship dissolved, he started living in his car. After multiple tickets, his car was eventually towed and he began “learning how to survive” on the streets. Sometimes he slept in an abandoned building or a makeshift tent in the woods. I was saddened to learn that Tom had spent many years living a mere mile from where I live in Milwaukee.  It was a sobering reminder that his tragic circumstance could happen to anyone and that the need is right in my own backyard.

That same year he lost his job, Tom’s mother also passed away. He began to drink to numb the pain of grief and loss in his life; although he did not enjoy it, he felt he needed to do it to cope with his “new” reality. About two weeks ago, Tom felt incredibly lucky when he was able to secure a bed at a shelter.

With a roof over his head, things have started to look up for Tom. He recently met with a job coach and will soon meet with a Case Manager. He’s enrolled in health insurance, has his identification documents up to date and just acquired a phone. Tom also quit drinking cold turkey. There was a quiet pride in the way Tom described his work to “get the ball rolling in the right direction” for his life. I could sense his optimism.

As is often the case, Tom said a few times that day that he never thought he would find himself in the position of being homeless and needing help to get back on his feet. He acknowledged that for too long he had been living outside of his means, with little savings, so that when he lost his job, he had little to fall back on financially. He is an only child and had a volatile relationship with his father, so there was no familial support to depend on after his mother’s death. We spoke about how for so many people, homelessness can be just one paycheck away.

I thanked Tom for sharing his story with me, and he said that he’d only shared his story with a handful of other people. What a privilege to befriend Tom and accompany him that day.

Tom’s story is one of thousands in our city, which is why events like Project Homeless Connect are so important. It truly impacts lives and helps those who need support to change the course of their future. I’m so proud to be part of an organization like United Way who supports this.