Dégagé Ministries works as nucleus for homeless

“Dégagé was the nucleus for us. Every day we would come here to eat and find out where to go.”

Jack, an Air Force veteran and a dear friend of the ministry, expresses the difficulty he and his fiancé Della faced while they were homeless. Not knowing where to turn after suddenly finding themselves without a job or a home, Jack and Della made their way to Dégagé.

Jack expresses gratitude for the community he found here. The friends he made among the staff and patrons were able to help him navigate the bus system, receive vital resources, and obtain his State of Michigan ID within six months. Having been homeless for three years, Jack expresses the difference it makes when you have somewhere you can simply belong every day. “It makes a big difference when you can eat every day and find some place to sit.” As a veteran, Jack was also able to receive assistance from the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) and worked hard to give back in various veteran’s groups in the community and here at Dégagé. “I didn’t have to, but I wanted to volunteer.” Jack gave generously of his time volunteering at Dégagé because it was his way to give back.

With assistance from the VA and Dégagé, Jack now lives in his own apartment and is looking to become an advocate for others who are suffering with mental illness and feeling stuck in their circumstances. Because of the resources he found here, he tells them, “You don’t have to stay where you’re at. Help is here.”