KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The St. Michael’s Veterans Center officially opened on Monday, which means 58 homeless veterans now have a place to call home.
“I was thinking they’d have a parade, a warm welcome, and people would hire you on the spot…not happening. It didn’t happen at all,” said Thomas Wyatt, who joined the military to support his family.
But Wyatt says upon returning home, things were even worse than when he left; leaving him homeless in and out of shelters.
“When you don’t know where you’re going to be from one day to the next, you’re more concerned about where you’re going to be the next day as opposed to eating or a job,” Wyatt said.
But all that changed when he heard about St. Michael’s Veterans Center.
“You’re going to put us in some type of dump and say okay we’re doing this for the veterans and it’s like, yeah right,” Wyatt added. “As time went on, and now I’ve come here to see this. It blows me away, blows me away.”
On Monday Wyatt attended the grand opening for the center, which is now his new home.
“Oh my god, this is like a kid at Christmas! You know, like opening up a present,” said Wyatt.
“It’s a chance for each individual that’s in here to be on their own and get on with their lives,” said Michael Hill, who is also a veteran.
Hill also calls St. Michael’s Veterans Center his new home.
“It’s self-contained, you’ve got mental help here, you’ve got security here, and you have your own little one bed room apartment that’s good to go,” added Hill.
Both Wyatt and Hill agree it’s impossible to live a normal life without having a permanent, safe place to live, but say this new home will change that.
“Gives me an opportunity to get peace of mind, get focused, get back into the community and do some things I’ve been wanting to do,” Wyatt said.
Many of these veterans don’t have the luxury of having simple items many of us take for granted.
“That roll of toilet paper, tooth brush, hair brush, the toiletries that you need to take a shower or do your dishes, or put your dirty clothes in, things like that,” said Eileen Pervier, who is a veteran herself.
Pervier came up with the idea to make welcome home baskets for the veterans moving in.
“When they wake up, they can say what a great way to start my new life here in this community,” Pervier added.
“It will really become real when I get that key and put it in that door, and open it and say, ‘I’m home,’” said Wyatt.
Fifty-eight veterans will be living there for now, but when it’s complete it will be able to give 180 veterans a place to call home.
