Michael Heatherington says things like this:
“I have never begged for money, and I never will beg for money. I feel I am physically capable to go out there and work, and I like working, so I won’t hold a sign. It’s not about pride, though. I feel strongly that I can make it, so I am concentrating on that instead going to a roadside to beg for money.”
And this, too:
“I don’t want to be homeless and sleep outside for the rest of my life. That would just suck. I just want a place to live and the ability to pay my bills, and I’d be completely happy to sit in my place and complain about being bored. You can’t do that out here, though. You always have to be paying attention out here. Most of the people out here are nice, but then there are the others that don’t make it too nice. Those are the people you have to watch out for out here. But there are reasons why people are out here. It might be addiction, but it also might be problems with family, too, and that leaves you where you find yourself. That’s why I’m homeless.”
Heatherington, a 32-year-old native of Bellaire, has lived homeless in Wheeling for the past two years. Some of that time has been spent inside the Salvation Army on 16th Street and in the Winter Freeze Shelter at Youth Services Systems on 15th Street, but most of time he’s been hidden away in Wheeling woods or in plain view along the Heritage Trail near Wesbanco Arena.
“I’m hit and skip when it comes to where I’ve been here around the valley,” Heatherington explained. “I’m normally somewhere in the woods, but I have lived near Wesbanco Arena, where I just put my tent up next to the walking trail because that’s where it’s flat.
“I’ve stayed in Elm Grove near that skate park, and I’ve stayed in Bellaire, too, but you have to be careful there because they will tell you to take your tent down,” he explained. “Elm Grove actually is a nice, decent place. It’s pretty cool there, and I like it.”
Why You May Know His Name
Wheeling Councilman Ben Seidler introduced Heatherington to a gathering Thursday that concerned the city engaging in a conversation about how best to help the large homeless population in the city. Campsites can be seen from W.Va. Route 2 and Interstate 70, under overpasses and viaducts, and along both sections of Heritage Trail, but they also exist along the former “Suicide Hill,” which is located behind the OVMC campus.
Seidler, who met Heatherington while hosting a weekly free dinner for anyone in need, has since been criticized for introducing Heatherington during the forum, and he even has been accused of parading him like a “zoo animal.”
“I figured it might be inspirational for some people if I went in front of everyone to tell a part of my story. Maybe they would want to start changing their life instead of living like I have had to live,” Heatherington said. “But once I get my foot into a really good door, I know I will work harder than anyone else, and that it will give me a chance to finally get to where I want to be.
“Now, there are jobs around that I can get, but they pay minimum wage, and that’s not enough to get me off the streets,” he explained. “I’m not looking to become a CEO right off the bat, trust me, but I know I can work hard enough to earn more than just minimum wage. I want to get an apartment, and I want to work hard for someone who is going to appreciate it.”
Attacked and Injured
He was sleeping in a tent right next to the Heritage Trail near Wesbanco Arena when he heard a commotion outside around 4 a.m. in early morning. He unzipped his tent to check on the people behind the voices, and there were three males and a female.
One of them asked for a cigarette, and Heatherington obliged. They talked for a bit, and then Heatherington returned to his tent.
“But then three of the four of them came back, and they asked me for another cigarette, but when I unzipped my tent to hand it to one of them, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me out of the tent. That’s when they started hitting and kicking me for no reason, and I had to go to the hospital and get stitches,” he recalled. “I didn’t even try to fight back because they were so young. But one of them was cutting up my tent and made it unusable. I still have no idea what it was all about.”
He has been a resident at the Salvation Army and at the Winter Freeze Shelter that’s been opened for more than a decade at YSS during the past two, homeless years.
“Everyone is just trying to live out here. They want to be happy, but they have had their obstacles, too,” Heatherington explained. “Most of us help each other, and we share what we got, but there are others who just want to cause problems, too. Plus, there are some great organizations in Wheeling that just want to help, and trust me; they do help a lot of people.
“When you put your tent up near good people, it doesn’t really feel like you’re homeless. In those situations, you may still be sleeping outside, but at the same time it feels like you are home when you go back to your tent,” he said. “Now, those crime camps got out of control, and that was when I was living near one of them, and I got away. I do my best to avoid that stuff, and that’s why I now always camp all by myself.”
