Homeless In Mahaska Finding A Way Up

Ryan McDonald after a recent Mahaska County Homelessness Coalition meeting.

Oskaloosa, Iowa – Earlier this year, Oskaloosa News spoke with a homeless couple that was sheltering under a bridge, surviving the harsh Iowa winter. We documented their struggle in finding a place to live, and what obsticles homeless face.

At a recent Mahaska County Homelessness Coalition meeting, Ryan McDonald sat and listened as experts worked their way through their agenda. They also discussed the positive points that came from a recent town hall meeting, in which the public had an opportunity to ask questions and learn more about what is available to the homeless in Oskaloosa and Mahaska County.

As the meeting went along, McDonald offered his insight into the homeless population, excited to help in some way to bring more people off the street. “They’ve helped me out a lot,” said McDonald of the Homelessness Coalitions work to help him get off the streets.

“I had a friend that let me stay in his garage for awhile, living homeless in the winter in Oskaloosa is pretty rough.”

Before being homeless, McDonald says he was living a pretty normal life with his son. His son’s mother had recently passed away, and McDonald didn’t know how to help his son during that grieving process.

“I took him to a close family friend, and he was doing so good, I couldn’t, in right conscience, take him away from there. I ended up signing him over to them,” said McDonald, who still had visitation with his son.

“I just kind of melted down after that, got into drugs and just living independently because I was at a point where I was kind of raging. I did that privately to where no one else was affected, more than me not being there,” added McDonald.

“Things just kind of progressed in a negative sense. I ended up pretty well where I just didn’t have many avenues that I could turn.”

For approximately two years McDonald lived on the streets of Oskaloosa.

McDonald walked the streets of Oskaloosa pulling a cart searching for scrap metal, pop cans, anything he could make money from. “I was definitely looked down upon quite a bit.”

“Digging in the trash, according to Oskaloosa, is suspicious behavior, and I’d get the cops called on me 10 or 12 times a day for just trying to survive at the level I’d gotten myself to,” remembers McDonald.

McDonald had turned to drugs, “Just trying to get numb.”

After being arrested for drug charges a couple of times, he was court ordered to a drug evaluation. McDonald was admitted to a crisis stabilization center for 30 days, “I got the bulk of what was bothering me out up there.”

McDonald then opened up to getting help from Mahaska County Coordinator of Disability Services Heather Gross. “I was tired of trying to destroy myself instead of doing better. I know my son needs me.”

With Gross’s work and others, McDonald was placed in transitional living. “Things are starting to progress from there. I’m going to vocational rehab, working on my community service. I’m working a very limited part-time job just for the things I need cash for.”

That quick turn around has been about 60 days in the making. “It’s taken a lot of work and a lot of emotional time. A lot of just putting myself through some of what I didn’t feel like doing at the time, but it needed done, so I went ahead and pushed myself. I’m working to achieve.”

When it comes to the people involved with the Homelessness Coalition, McDonald said the members are very nice and are invested in working towards the goal of trying to help people when they need the help. “Yeah, I’d been offered help probably three or four times, and told them flat out I’m where I want to be right now.”

McDonald says he’s been clean now for over 60 days.

“If you’re coming from where I was at, it is a bit difficult to go ahead and squash your pride and say, hey, I can’t get out of this myself. Sometimes pride gets in the way,” added McDonald.

McDonald hopes to be a “buffer” to help facilitate better communication between the homeless community, and those that offer services. “That can be quite intimidating sometimes if you are at the bottom of things.”

You can find out more about helping the homeless in Mahaska County by visiting the Mahaska County Homelessness Coalition Facebook page HERE.