Michael had his 64th birthday shortly after coming to Water Street. 64 years old and facing homelessness for the first time. 

When he thinks about his early years, he remembers a peaceful and loving childhood. “I had a wonderful upbringing. We weren’t the richest people, but we always had what we needed,” he shares. He pursued accounting in college and dedicated most of his career to the hotel industry. But a few years back, he found himself out of work. At the same time, his mother’s health was declining, and he decided to take the opportunity to care for her until she passed away just last year. 

After that, finding a new job proved challenging, and with rent due before he could secure stable employment, Michael found himself “homeless” for the first time. “It was something I never thought I would be… at a place I never thought I would be at,” he says. Despite the hardship, Michael is not one to dwell on the negative. He came to Water Street and discovered something he would come to cherish—the people. “Everybody has been welcoming, and I can’t say one bad thing about any staff member that I’ve encountered here,” he says. 

“Giving them a place to stay is just the tip of the iceberg. If you take advantage of what else is offered, there is so much more here to change your life.” – Michael, Water Street Guest 

At Water Street, Michael decided to join our Residential Program, where he could focus on planning for his future. “My big thing,” he realized, “I was a big procrastinator. I would just keep putting stuff off to the point where then it just didn’t get done, or it was too late for it to get done.” Yet, when it came to classes at Water Street, he didn’t delay in getting as involved as possible. Through our Career and Financial Services program, Michael developed a retirement plan. He now understands how to manage his finances and how he wants to spend his time—helping a sister with high-health needs and living a purpose-filled life. 

Michael has always had a heart for caretaking, lifting up, and serving others. At Water Street, he wakes up early to clean our Emergency Shelter alongside a dedicated team of staff members. He appreciates the peace and quiet of the early morning and takes pride in ensuring that those who come to Water Street have a safe place to sleep at night.

For Michael, Water Street offers so much more than just a bed. “Giving them a place to stay is just the tip of the iceberg. If you take advantage of what else is offered, there is so much more here to change your life,” he says.

Thank you for helping change the lives of individuals like Michael here at Water Street! Your support allows us to be there for guests as they hit big life road bumps, so they can come out stronger than they were before.