I’ve never been homeless, but as the saying goes, there but for the grace of God go any of us. It could happen to anyone, and in fact, experts say that most American families are two paychecks away from being homeless because many families in the U.S. live paycheck to paycheck. I’ve known people who lived with homelessness, and in my career in human services, I was intimately familiar with the struggles that these people faced. There’s a reality that isn’t often addressed, believe it or not, and that is that it’s very difficult for men to find shelter when they’re homeless.
In most cities, there are options for women with children, and there are shelters for abused women. However, it’s different for men. But what about if a man has children? Well, a man named Joseph Cantu from Pontiac, Michigan was living that reality, as reported by Fox 2. Last year, Cantu’s wife walked out on him and their five young children, leaving him in crisis and struggling to make ends meet. The problem is that he didn’t have anyone to take care of his children while he worked, and it caused him to have to lose his job working for a car detailing company.
What Joseph discovered is that it’s nearly impossible to find a shelter that will take a man and his children, and the need is out there. In the past, it was typically women who were left destitute when men left their families, however, in the modern era, it can be just the opposite, and men with children are just as vulnerable as women with children when it comes to things like this. “I never thought this would happen to myself anyway but what bothers me the most is that they (his kids) have to endure it as well,” Cantu said, “And luckily they’re small enough they probably won’t remember it.”
Some nights, they stayed in their van, and sometimes people would donate money and that would allow him to get a decent night’s sleep in a motel. He eventually got a childcare solution because he qualifies for a government program that assists with childcare. However, it’s difficult to climb up out of homelessness and we all know the reasons why. This story broke last year, and a GoFundMe was established to help them get back on their feet. We don’t have a specific update, but we hope that this little family has found a path forward to better times. According to Joseph’s Facebook page, he now has his own business as an auto spa professional.
Images: Facebook
