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A Big Step for Michael W.

BY HANNAH HERNER, PHOTOS BY TOM WILLS

“I love it,” says Michael W. about his new apartment.

Michael spoke to The Contributor three nights after moving into housing after he had been camping since 2003. He lists what he did in those first three days: swept his floor, made his bed, took a shower, went to church, took his trash out, washed his dishes, took another shower. He lists pertinent supplies he received upon move-in: a clothes hamper, a garbage can, a refrigerator, plenty of towels.

For now, it’s the seemingly little things that Michael is enjoying about his new apartment — all those things that he couldn’t do when he was camping.

“It’s about time,” he says.

He dissolves into tears, thinking about how he wishes his parents could see him in his own place.

“I didn’t know my real mom. My stepmom married my dad when I was 10 and she taught me the biggest things in life. Gave me responsibility. Told me what you need to do in life,” Michael says. “All them years you get lazy, washing your clothes and stuff. Then it’s time, like my dad told me, ‘it’s time to get your head out of your butt. It’s time to come back to reality, son.’”

And Michael says that’s what he feels like he’s doing.

For years, he was resistant to going into housing — he was really skilled at surviving in the elements and taking care of himself. After working with The Contributor housing navigators, he’s now in a unit that’s based on his income, and he’ll have no problem meeting that through the money he makes selling paper.

“I was just getting tired of it,” he says. “There’s a time in your life you get tired of hearing about other people’s this and that. This way when I go in, I can go in, shut my door. I don’t have to put up with people.”

He’s also glad that he doesn’t have to worry about the inevitable “move along” that comes with camping.

“Camping is fun, but there’s a time you gotta give that up and come in,” he says. “I took everything I needed. My tent’s still out there, but I probably won’t go back out there to live. I’ll go out there to visit and leave and come home. Now that I have a place to call mine, I’ll go back there every day.”

Michael is clearly taking a lot of pride in his space. He’s trying to achieve a “new apartment smell.” He uses pumpkin spice air freshener every morning all over the unit — in the closet, the bathroom, and even into the air vent. He’s looking forward to having more food options now that he has a refrigerator, like cereal and milk.

“This was a big step ... A big step,” he says. “I’m not scared anymore because I know I can go home, lock my door, leave whatever I want in there, where nobody will come and take it.”