Robert Michael sat in a garden chair outside his home at Ventura Springs, a new permanent supportive housing community in Ventura County for military veterans like him. He sported a Dodgers baseball cap and an impressive salt-and-pepper beard. His eyes welled up with tears as he talked about what having a place of his own means to him.
"I'm still waking up in the middle of the night going, 'Really? Is this really happening? Did this really happen? '" said Michael.
"I got lucky because back when I was 18 years old, I said 'I do'. If it wasn't for the military, I'd probably still be out in the streets."
It wasn’t that long ago that he found himself experiencing homelessness after being kicked out of his home of 15 years. He slept outside and occasionally, when he saved up the money, stayed the night in a cheap motel.
"I would do anything I could to not ever experience that again because it's not fun to sleep with one eye open," he said.
He said he never felt safe sleeping outside.
"There was times I slept next to a wall, in dirt. I mean I was very vulnerable to someone had they decided they wanted to do something to hurt me," he said.
He saved up to stay in a motel for a few nights "during the World Series when the Dodgers were whooping upon those Yankees," he said.
Michael said he would often stand outside a bar showing the game just to watch.
He’s just one of the 119 military vets calling the new community home. The 122-unit development, which officially opened on Thursday, is the first of its kind in the county by non-profit A Community Of Friends.
Dora Leong Gallo is the President and CEO of the organization, and says the development — which is built on 10 acres and has a campus-like feel with outdoor gathering spaces and community rooms — is the start of a new chapter for residents like Robert.
"Ventura Springs is an affordable community," said Leong Gallo. "People who live here only pay 30% of their income for rent. They're not paying 50 or 70% of their income for outrageous rents that are now in existence all over the country."
U.S. Vets is a non-profit that aims to combat the veteran homeless crisis and is a major partner in the project.
"I think Ventura Springs is a basic thing that we could duplicate in so many places," said Darryl Vincent, President and CEO of the organization.
"A lot of times, getting out of the military, you don't even consider yourself homeless when you're couch-surfing with friends or you're doing certain things. You tell yourself, 'I'm going to figure it out.' The difference between a veteran like myself who got out of the military and a veteran that can have a little bit more trouble is resources and support. I was lucky enough to have a family be my U.S. Vets. (They) can be that family before they end up sleeping on the streets, beach, underpasses and cars. And I truly believe that we should not worry about each other's politics. We shouldn't worry about what we agree or disagree on. We should really be worried about how do we work together and be compassionate about our conviction. And when we can do that, we can bond over the common mission of serving veterans to make sure that we end veteran homelessness, not manage it."
As for Robert Michael? He’s looking forward to finally being able to watch baseball on his own television.
