On a bright sunny day just a couple of blocks from a Columbus homeless shelter, we met a 48-year-old man. He asked us not to use his name to protect his privacy.
“I lived in West Virginia. I had a really good job, had a really good life, had a home, and then I tried to help somebody that was under. And that person took me down to the very bottom, “ said the man who stood next to a full backpack and blanket.
After getting into trouble in his small West Virginia hometown, he took the advice of local police and moved to Columbus. With no ID, no money and no job, he joined hundreds of others who are down and out in Ohio's capital city.
“It's tough. And it's not only just tough, but it beats you down mentally. And you either rise up, or you give up," he said.
Keith Mccormish is the Director of the Columbus Coalition for the Homeless. The last count by the Community Shelter Board in 2021 identified about 1,200 people in local shelters, down from nearly 1,500 the previous year. McCormish said the pandemic briefly helped those families who would have otherwise found themselves on the streets.
“I think what we're seeing is more street homeless and unsheltered people. The estimates are that about 20% of all homeless people in Columbus are unsheltered, “ said McCormish.
As we ease out of the pandemic, Community Shelter Board executive director Michelle Heritage said the same issue that led to many losing their homes is resurfacing.
“We are really facing an affordable housing crisis in our community," said Heritage.
She said that crisis is an absolute cause of homeless and she also believes we are facing one of the biggest challenges around homelessness that we have ever seen.
That's very bad news for 27-year-old James Wesley. He moved to Columbus from Chicago to be near his mother who is battling breast cancer. He's unemployed and spends his days looking for a warm place to sleep at night.
“Ain't even no words for it. Life gives you a lot," he said.
Despite his current situation, Wesley is optimistic he'll find a job and get back on his feet. He said he has to do it for his five kids.
