MILWAUKEE — Kevin Perez is currently living at the Holt Avenue Park and Ride along with 15 other people.
“We will make all the breakfast in the morning, so if someone is starting to cook, we say who is hungry and then we know to make extra, so everyone gets fed,” said Perez.
For Perez and dozens of others, living at park and rides around the city is the only option.
“This is my house,” Perez said when pointing to the camper he just finished covering with tarps to keep moisture from getting in.
“This is the car I am fixing up with a motor mount and some chains so I can get around,” said Perez.
Perez has struggled with homelessness and addiction for most of his life. He said both hold him back from getting a job and finding housing.
“I have been working with housing and I haven’t talked to anyone yet,” said Perez. “I call two or three times a week and I still have not talked to anyone, so they don’t care about me or anything.”
By selling his plasma, he makes just enough money to stay warm in the winter months.
“That covers my cigarettes and gas, stuff like that, but it’s survival, it’s not enough. That’s why I have been trying to get a job,” said Perez.
There are options throughout the city for those looking to get sober and find housing.
Jonathan Mosier is the transitional service manager at the Milwaukee Rescue Mission.
Its mission is to share “God’s love by caring for those who are poor in body, mind and spirit, to see lives transformed through Christ.”
He works with dozens of men who struggle with both addiction and homelessness.
“Thirty days, going through withdrawal, going through that stuff and when your body starts to regulate, you can see the difference in your emotions, your interactions, your relationships, the clarity of your thinking,” said Mosier while speaking to a group of men on the path to sobriety.
Through the Milwaukee Rescue Mission’s recovery program, Mosier spends six months walking men through the basics of recovery.
“Then they come on to the transitional services program where they are able to continue living here for free, getting all of their meals here for free and having counseling from our staff,” said Mosier.
Mosier said many people aren’t ready to get sober and address the trauma that life has put them through.
He said the help will always be there when people are ready.
“For anyone who is interested in pursuing change, who desires change and is looking for help we have help to offer, we have resources to offer, we have staff who cares for and loves the staff we interact with,” said Mosier.
Milwaukee County is currently working to get those living in the park and rides into housing.
Perez said if he was forced to leave, he would just find another place to park his camper.
“I don’t mind it, this doesn’t bother me. Even if I was a millionaire, I would probably still live like this,” said Perez.