How these nonprofits plan to eradicate homelessness among veterans in Columbus
Staff Sgt. Dan Michaels will never forget May 10, 1999.
That was the day he followed the tradition of placing his feet on the yellow footprints to begin his journey in the United States Marine Corps. Decades later, Michaels knows that he will always be a Marine, whether he’s active duty or not.
“They changed my life forever,” he said. “It gave me structure. It gave me direction. It gave me purpose, and it wasn’t just for myself.”
Fifteen years later, after numerous deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan and other locations around the world, he was discharged.
For the next four years, Michaels lived in the Georgia woods with other veterans and people experiencing homelessness.
SafeHouse Ministries and the Plummer Home announced in May that the organizations are partnering together to work towards eradicating homelessness among veterans in Columbus.
The Plummer Home is able to house up to six veterans, and the partnership with SafeHouse will allow more veterans to be housed at their new men’s shelter Freedom House, formerly Cobis Personal Care Home. The facility opened in March, and provides 104 beds for men experiencing homelessness.
Plummer Home had been looking at ways to expand its operations when they heard about SafeHouse moving its men’s shelter to the new Freedom Home, Greg Jordan, chairman of the Plummer Home, said.
“What really makes this community special is our ability to get rid of the silos and start working together,” said Neil Richardson, executive director of SafeHouse.
Jordan has visited many of the homeless areas in Columbus chaperoned by some of Plummer Home’s residents, he said. Through these visits, Jordan found over 60 veterans who could potentially be supported by the merger with SafeHouse.
‘Not healthy to live in the woods’
Michaels served in Iraq four times and on three tours Afghanistan. He served in Syria, Korea, South America and Australia during his time as a Marine. Not all of his experiences were bad, he said, and many were adventurous.
He married his high school sweetheart, Amanda, in 2000 in Clearwater, Florida.
On the day he returned from his a deployment, Michaels gave everyone on the plane a rose. Each passenger handed a confused Amanda a rose as they descended, and Michaels came last. He proposed to her at the airport.
Amanda passed away from cystic fibrosis in 2010 after 10 years of marriage.
“She was a cute, little spitfire,” Michaels said. “Who wore the pants in the family? She did.”
When Micheals got out of the military in 2014, it was with the weight of losing his wife and the loss of structure that came with being a Marine.
He didn’t know what he would do with his life, and he wasn’t sure what direction to go in.
“I didn’t know how to live my life except for other than that military lifestyle,” Micheals said. “Oh, we’re going to go to war? Yes. Let’s go.”
He came to Columbus not long after leaving the military because he was told he could find more support from Veterans Affairs to help with his disabilities. Michaels has had both of his knees and left shoulder reconstructed and he suffers from severe degenerative disc disease and a reverse spine.
However, once in Columbus, Michaels ended up living in a tent in the woods for around four years. In that time, he met two other homeless veterans struggling to live too.
Keeping up with important documents that he needed to receive help from the VA was difficult because of these living conditions. One of these documents was his DD214, which is issued to each veteran identifying their condition of discharge.
“I’ve had it destroyed so many times because living out in the woods ain’t really healthy for you,” Michaels said.
He got pneumonia in both of his lungs because he was living in the woods, he said.
In 2018, Michaels met Col. Roy George Plummer, who brought him to Plummer Home to find better shelter and guide him into getting his disability.
“I wanted to commit suicide until I met him,” Michaels said. “And he gave me that little inch of hope. I gotta fight. I gotta put the fight back in.”
He was granted compensation for 60% service-related disability.
‘You have to really get in the trenches’
Leaving the Winn-Dixie on Macon Road in 2010, Plummer saw a veteran bagging groceries. He asked the man why he was working at the chain and listened to his life story.
“My pupils dilated when he began to share his experiences with me,” Plummer said.
He left the grocery store, sat in his car and told the Lord that he would find a place for veterans, Plummer said. He found the location on 18th Street that has been used as the Plummer Home.
Since Oct. 2010, the organization has supported over 600 homeless men and women veterans, Jordan said. It is supported almost completely by “friends and family donations.”
During this time, the Plummer Home helped close two tent cities in the community, one of which was where Michaels lived. There are still three other tent cities in Columbus, Michaels said.
“You have to really get into the trenches on where these places are,” he said. “Yes, homeless shelters have the census, but not tent cities.”
On average, there are around 13 to 14 individuals who live in each of these locations, Michaels said.
These are the individuals that this partnership hopes to assist. Plummer Home will continue providing mentoring, partnerships and helping with access to resources the veterans will need, Richardson said.
“They’re experts in this field,” he said.
The veterans they help with go through the Plummer Home’s intake, and then SafeHouse will continue with case management and housing at Freedom House as they begin the process to find permanent housing.
Michaels will be moving into a home that he purchased this summer. The assistance he received from the Plummer Home helped him get his disability and apply for a VA loan for a house.
After about a year of searching, he found a three-bedroom, one-bath home with a fireplace. Michaels has been volunteering his time to work at the Plummer Home for the past few years and plans to continue doing so.
“My job is not going to end because I’m a veteran, and I get a house,” Michaels said. “No, I’m still going to help them Plummer Home for the rest of my life.”
This story was originally published May 25, 2022 at 10:29 AM with the headline "How these nonprofits plan to eradicate homelessness among veterans in Columbus."
