Mike Devereaux understands this mission all too well.

A monthly donor to St. Vincent de Paul Louisville, Devereaux’s son, Jonathan, was homeless.

“This organization has a mission that I am passionate about,” Devereaux said. “I have a son who was homeless for six-and-a-half years. He suffered from dual diagnosis, schizophrenia, and substance abuse. We tried to get him housing at St. Vincent de Paul, but he wouldn’t go through Coalition for the Homeless.”

Devereaux’s son turned a condo into a drug operation.

“It became a druggy den, they trashed it, and I had to evict him. We had to let him become homeless until we felt that he could handle this responsibility,” Devereaux added. “He wouldn’t go into the shelters, so he was in the elements every night. And you know how bad some of the winters and summers are here. It’s been a real struggle.”

Devereaux has seen firsthand the devastating effects of homelessness. It’s easy to assume the worst when we see someone sleeping on the streets or struggling with substance abuse. It’s a lot harder when you hear their story.

“My son went off and made the wrong choices. When he was 15 he lost his best friend to a heart condition. They were very close. He lost three close friends to a drunk driver at 16. Then, he lost his sister—our daughter—at 17. She was a senior at Southern Illinois University. When she was at the hospital, they gave her an overdose of Tylenol and it shut her liver down. From then on, he’d have periods where he did well, and then he’d go off the deep end.”

Devereaux’s son is currently on the right track.

“We bought a condo for him over off Bashford Manor and so far he’s doing well,” he said. “He has Social Security Disability, has a debit card, and eats on a regular basis.”

Unfortunately, unhoused individuals are not always ready to receive help, but that doesn’t mean we stop trying or give up on those in the thick of it. People like Devereaux’s son are a good example.

“I see the challenges that we have in this world, and we have to give back. That is the only way to offer help. We are not going to fix everything, but we can certainly make a difference,” Devereaux said.

Devereaux is one donor making a difference. He is using the pain he has experienced to shape the manner in which he invests his time, talents, and treasures.

In 2018, Devereaux volunteered at the Food Pantry. He then joined the Finance, Audit, and Thrift Stores committees because of his background in finance and retail. He oversaw renovations at Waypoint and now at Ozanam Inn Men’s Emergency Shelter (he has had much experience in refurbishing older structures). A retired employee of Hunter Fan Company, he donated fans to the Open Hand Kitchen and Waypoint.

“I’ve been a monthly donor for a while and I don’t even miss these monies … it is part of the monthly budget. One has to look at the return … and the return is seen in the fact that the dollar magnifies itself tremendously. St. Vincent is at a crossroads. There’s a tremendous amount of overhead. St. Vincent absolutely needs people to step up … It’s hard to run an operation like this when you are in the hole at the start of every month and have to depend on the generosity of people. If you have monthly commitments, that hole diminishes.”

Source: Society of Ct. Vincent de Paul – Louisville, https://www.svdplou.org/