On Tour
Mike’s quest of surviving the streets unhoused and improvising his path home - a better home
Mike unpacks the reality of being unhoused by first challenging traditional definitions of "home." He details two significant periods where he experienced homelessness — first in Portland after a traumatic mental health crisis and job loss, and second across multiple states, linking these challenging experiences to his life mission.
“Necessity is the mother of invention. ”
Living on the streets forced Mike to confront firsthand some of the real-world problems that plague many cities and vulnerable communities throughout the United States. He learned some of the basic tools for survival, developed his own processes for locating essential resources (e.g. food, shelter, hygiene, healthcare, transport), and identified some of the key gaps that continue to inhibit folks from climbing out of their respective states of insecurity and despair.
Mike’s long-winded journey provided him with many unexpected moments of joy, revealing a radically different side of places in which he’d lived before. Experiencing firsthand the kindness and selflessness of the people and organizations around him led him to fall in love with places like Columbus, Chicago, New Orleans, and Natchez in a way that he had previously overlooked while living comfortably as a young professional.
Mike reflects on his challenging three-year "sabbatical," particularly specific instances in which he has relied on others for financial and emotional support while being unhoused. He emphasizes the profound power of expressing gratitude and saying "thank you" to others.
Mike reflects on his challenging three-year "sabbatical," particularly specific instances in which he has relied on others for financial and emotional support while being unhoused. He emphasizes the profound power of expressing gratitude and saying "thank you" to others - to validate their efforts, impact, and time.
Looking back, he takes stock in the everlasting legacy of some of his campus activities and accomplishments, cherishing in particular how some of his original concepts and initiatives have withstood the test of time and have lived on through others who shared his sense of purpose, potential, and impact, carrying the torch forward even now.
He acknowledges the "elephant in the room" — the unsustainable cycle of begging for money — and resolves to focus on securing applicable grants, as well as securing his own personal finances - instead of continuing to rely on personal donations from friends who might also be facing scarcity and financial woes of their own.