Over the last ten months, I have been serving at NMCAA in Petoskey. I was born and raised in a small community that I thought I was very familiar with; however, there are more problems than I realized. There are individuals, children and families that are literally homeless or some living in un-safe housing.

We have a shelter but it is much smaller than most and people are very hesitant to stay there. I have always thought that if you were truly homeless you would stay in the shelter. I was wrong. Many individuals believe that there are people that are suffering more than they are. I have also noticed that many homeless veterans would rather live on the streets or in the woods than stay in the shelter.

During the last few months, I have seen many working poor families that are facing eviction; they cannot afford rent, utilities, and take care of their families. They work full time but only make minimum wage, which is barely enough to pay rent. There are some affordable housing and housing programs in the community but not enough.   Many clients are being turned down because of past evictions, credit history, or criminal history. Clients feel as though there is never a way out because of their past even if they have done their time. People end up living in housing that either is not affordable or unsafe; therefore, only temporarily fixing the problem.

During my service, I have learned a lot about the causes of homelessness and many of the challenges people face. I have also learned the importance of volunteering and giving back to my community.