Livingston County Man Struggling with Homelessness Tells His Story
*Dennis outside the Livingston County Corps Community Center
Dennis has battled homelessness since he was 16. Due to chronic health problems, maintaining sustained housing was always difficult.
Now in a stable situation and married to the love of his life, Jennifer, he reflected on a tumultuous past few years:
“I started to realize I couldn’t work the way that I needed to work. So, I filed for disability in 2019, but got denied. I got a lawyer, and then was denied four more times.
"I did not have a good relationship with my ex. I lost my home, my car, my kids. Most of my lifelong belongings were thrown in the garbage because I couldn’t physically carry them. I was estranged from my children for quite some time,” he said.
Thankfully, family and friends were able to help, but stability rarely lasted.
First, he cared for his grandmother in hospice while staying at his aunt’s house. She passed away in 2020 and did not have a funeral due to COVID restrictions.
“It was a very hard way to say goodbye to somebody, very impersonal,” he said.
Then he stayed with a cousin, but ultimately wanted to move closer to his children, who were over an hour away. A high school friend drove him to Jackson, where checked into the Jackson Inter-Faith Shelter. Shortly after this he met Jennifer.
*Jennifer and Dennis
From there he began a job at a warehouse which required minimal physical labor, but misfortune continued to follow. He contracted COVID and was forced to leave.
After being discharged from the hospital he found a place at another shelter where he helped at the associated church, assisting elderly congregants with their laundry, and hanging Christmas decorations. But this also did not last long.
As he began to lose hope, he weighed his options.
“I walked to a corner store in the middle of the worst blizzard of the winter – there was 16 inches that night – I sat there for a couple hours and then started walking towards Meijer.
A total stranger offered me a ride, so I threw my duffel bags in the car and took a ride to Meijer. So, I was sitting at Meijer and started calling around. I called The Salvation Army and left a message, and that’s how I met Miss Marlena.”
Marlena, his current caseworker, arranged transportation and gave him a temporary hotel voucher. Soon he was enrolled in the Pathway of Hope program and his fortunes continued to change. However, he was not out of the woods yet.
Due to multiple clerical errors, his disability and Section 8 housing benefits were delayed. The Salvation Army of Livingston County eventually helped him sort it out, and with Jennifer by his side he finally found an apartment.
“We moved in, and a month and a half later I was notified that I won my disability case. That was a huge burden off my shoulders,” he said.
From there things continued to improve. He was able to marry Jennifer, and they moved near The Salvation Army Livingston County Corps.
“We’re a 20-minute walk, we still don’t’ have a car. But hey, even Jesus walked everywhere,” he said.
Now, he and Jennifer run a weekly homelessness support group at the Corps Community Center.
“We want to let God use us, let people use us and our stories. And let people coming to The Salvation Army know that there’s hope even in desperate times.”
During a painting day at the corps, Dennis painted a garden of flowers, and wrote “keep hope alive” on the back. The corps now gives out stickers with the image to spread his message of hope.
“As long as God gets us out of bed and keeps us going, we have hope that things are going to change and get better by the grace of God.”
*Dennis’s painting: front (left), and back (right)
If you were inspired by Dennis’s story, there are many ways you can help support the programs that help people just like him. You can donate or volunteer at your local corps.