Macon Magazine

50 maconmagazine.com | DECEMBER/JANUARY 2023 leeping under the I-16 bridge near Spring Street in Macon is a thought that never crossed Ricky Veal's mind until he had no choice. For five months, the 54-year-old from Wilkinson County slept to the sound of cars on the interstate roaring above him, sharing the space with strangers who were fighting their own battles. In 2009, Rheem Manufacturing Co. in Milledgeville closed its doors, leaving 1,200 people without a job. Veal was one of those people, even after dedicating 24 years of his life to the company as a machine operator. After that, he got a job at Mayfield Dairy Farms in Macon, which also closed shortly after the start of the pandemic, Veal said. Each time the companies closed, Veal took a hit but kept going, landing a job at Kumho Tire. "I started having trouble with getting a ride from Wilkinson County to Macon every day since I didn't have a car," Veal said. "So eventually, I got fired from Kumho for not showing up. After that, things just went completely downhill." Veal eventually lost his home in Wilkinson County due to financial insecurity, so he made his way to Macon and started hanging out with houseless people with drug addictions. That's how he ended up living under the bridge. "I think I lost who I was and just fell into depression, not caring about anything," Veal said. Veal said it was easy to stay in that depression; it even became comfortable until he met people conducting a homelessness outreach under the I-16 bridge. That group consisted of Emergency Management Director Spencer Hawkins, Macon Mental Health Matters Coordinator Andrea Cooke, Brookdale Resource Center Director Alison Bender, and other community leaders. That was the first time Veal heard about Brookdale. He didn't go right away, but he was tired of the hustling and sleeping on concrete, so he figured he'd give it a try. He got a ride from a sheriff 's deputy. "Coming here was the best thing I ever did," Veal said. BROOKDALE RESOURCE CENTER Veal is one of more than 1,100 people that have turned to the Brookdale Resource Center for help. The Center is a 90-day transitional space and program for individuals and families experiencing homelessness. The Center first opened its doors in January 2021 after two men, 61-year-old Larry Howard and 63-year-old Manuel Foster, froze to death on Christmas Day in 2020. At the very beginning of Mayor Lester Miller's administration, it opened as the temporary Brookdale Warming Center, a safe space to keep people warm during the cold winter months. Since then, it has evolved into so much more. Under United Way of Central Georgia's (UWCG) directive, the Center focuses on equipping residents with the skills necessary to achieve financial stability and get a home. Each resident at Brookdale has a caseworker who tailors a program to meet their resident's specific needs. "For the first time in a very long time, I felt like someone truly cared. The people at Brookdale want to see me succeed," Veal said. "I want more people who are out on the streets to experience this, too. But they won't come. I try to go back out there and explain what they're missing, but they don't want to come." Brookdale Director Alison Bender said she's proud of Veal for what he's accomplished thus far. But not everyone is like Veal. Not every situation is similar. Some cases involve mental health issues, abuse, drugs, and other factors. Each case is different. "Some people don't want to come to Brookdale because they have to meet certain requirements and abide by our rules," Bender said, "so we need to find something that helps each individual. In order to do that, we need to find them, talk to them, and get to know them." UNITED TO END HOMELESSNESS Right now, there isn't an exact number of how many people are experiencing homelessness and housing vulnerability in Macon-Bibb County or what their needs are. But Dr. Jake Hall is focused on fixing that very important first step in ending homelessness. This initiative will use the housing first model, but there are a few steps that still need to be taken. "We need to map this out before we can have a solution," Hall said. Hall was brought on by UWCG and Macon-Bibb County to start the United to End Homelessness initiative as its Executive Director. He leads the effort to develop, coordinate, and implement a comprehensive strategy to end housing vulnerability in Central Georgia by working with service providers, community members, funding S

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