A Call to Courage - Michael

Michael is a shelter guest at Watered Gardens Outreach Center. He sat down with James Whitford, the Watered Gardens Co-Founder and Executive Director. Michael opened up to James about his childhood in unstable environments, his relationship with his family, and how he’s had to overcome a lot of trauma in his life. Michael is one of many Watered Gardens guests who would greatly benefit from a trauma-informed transitional shelter like what we’re planning as part of our Take Courage campaign. We’re confident and thankful that Michael will find a job and be out of shelter by the time we open the new facility. He shared his thoughts on how our plans may impact guests in the future.

One thing that Michael shared was that a lot of tension rises in the small spaces guests share in our current shelter, the Outreach Center. He said it would be helpful to have more space, like the 110 beds we’re planning on. Along with the increase in capacity, we are also going to create spaces with intention. We want people to come into our new facility, take a deep breath, know that they are safe, and feel a peace that allows for true healing from the inside out.

Another thing James and Michael spoke about was the tiny home community, Freedom Village. The tiny homes are for disabled homeless people, so while he's not a candidate for one, Michael shared that it's a good idea. Joplin has so many people in need of a permanent, affordable housing solution. We are excited about Freedom Village and thankful for the support people showed towards it by attending the groundbreaking on September 4th.

Watch the conversation between Michael and James below.