RECLAIMING VICTORY

The Loner
Name: Monty Milner, 55
Location: Columbus, Ohio

‘I didn’t come this far to go back to the streets.’

I first got in touch with Briggsdale Apartments, which is a 24/7 shelter site in Columbus, while I was living in my car and out on the streets. Basically, I was not doing the right thing. The lady I was with periodically was pregnant. I didn’t know that my son was mine, but I felt that he was.

I moved into Briggsdale and about two months later, I became a tenant rep. Basically, I helped the tenants talk to staff and helped the staff talk to tenants about the rules and regulations. A lot of people coming in from being homeless aren’t used to rules and regulations. I’d leave one temporary job and take another. I did warehouse work. I operated a forklift. I also did production, shipping and receiving. I’m very skilled.

While I was living in Briggsdale, I realized that my son was my son. He was put in foster care right after he was born. The state needed confirmation that he was my son and they told me that I needed to pay for a DNA test. When my court date came, the judge said, “You have a man stepping up trying to be a father to his son. You all are trying to take his son away and adopt him out. I’m not doing that. Monty is trying to step up to be a man. I’ve got a whole caseload of guys who aren’t trying to do anything.”

Launch Gallery 

So he gave me a schedule to see [my son]. The court gave me drug tests twice a week.
I had a problem with crack cocaine. I’ve been clean about three years. Drugs started for me by smoking weed. One thing led to another. Other people influenced me and I let them influence me. They didn’t force me. It started while I was in college. I went to Central State University for a year.

I didn’t finish because I wanted the fast life; I wanted to be among the people making fast money. I played basketball a lot. I was well-known. One day, someone who knew me wanted to buy some weed from me and that started me selling drugs. Good people and bad people smoke weed. That was the start of it. I did maintain my cars. I had a Bonneville, a Celica and a Buick Skylark.

I met a guy [named] Larry. Everyone called him “Pops.” He was a counselor who talked to people at the AA meetings who still drank or used drugs. If you were ready to quit, you’d go to him. If you weren’t ready to quit, you wouldn’t go to him, which meant he’d lose the battle. We got real close and I really appreciate him for being there for me because he guided me through a lot when I was at Briggsdale. I stayed strong. Anytime I had a problem, I’d go to him. 

My son being born, that is what really made me turn around. I was doing my one-hour weekly visits with him. Then they gave me weekend visits with my son.
Community Housing Network (CHN) has been there. I eventually moved in a housing unit for families because Briggsdale was for single people. I live in a nice townhouse and

I pay my rent now because I am receiving welfare.

The main thing is that they don’t put you back out on the street; they don’t believe in that. That is defeating the purpose. You don’t pay utilities. You’re supposed to pay 30 percent of your income. I pay $130 because I owe back rent. I normally pay two months in advance. On top of that, we have a computer room and a job-training program onsite. I would like to work in a warehouse or [doing] construction. I didn’t come this far in overcoming my addiction just to go back to the streets.

I’m 55 with four children, ages 32, 29, 26 and 2. My goal is to provide for my [youngest] son. I want to be able to give him a DVD player. As far as clothes, he’s fine. He likes Lightning McQueen and Big Bird and he has a lot of toys. 

I now have custody of my son Monty. He is with the woman who was his foster mother during the day because she runs the day care he goes to. I need the help. She is allowing me to look for jobs.

I am going to get a job. I want one so bad that I’m hungry. One thing about CHN is that they keep the frustration of housing off of me. I see people who are losing their homes and they want to kill themselves. They don’t know how it is to live in a shelter. Because I came from the streets, I know how to deal with that because I’ve been there.