Michael Hartridge
With his sparkling eyes, warm smile and ready laugh, Michael Hartridge pulls people in with his upbeat energy. His explanation for his positivity? “My life reminds me of the story of Job from the Bible. He lost everything and got it back 10-fold. I feel like I got everything back 100-fold. My life has turned around so much, and it is truly wonderful now.”
Michael was born and raised in Washington, D.C. After studying Math and Computer Science in college, Michael got a full-time job with DC Public Schools as a computer system administrator. It was his dream job and he worked there for 15 years. Life was good.
In 1997, the bottom fell out as there was a shakeup at DCPS and he lost his job. Michael got several short-term contracts and then worked at TSA, but when that job ended, he lost his apartment. He got his CDL license and drove trucks for a few years. When that job ended, Michael returned to Washington, DC to live with his brother. However, they got into a fight and his brother kicked him out.
That first night, Michael slept on the vents at 9th and Independence. He learned about the local shelters and stayed in them for a few years. Eventually he didn’t feel safe in the shelters, so he started living under Whitehurst Freeway. He lived there for 4 years.
Michael learned about MK and came for breakfast, dinner, and Studio every day. He’s also a musician and was delighted when MK told him about the free concerts at the Kennedy Center.
When he was living outside, Michael got trench foot on both feet. The Catholic University Foot Clinic came to MK and took care of his feet. The Unity Health van comes to MK twice a week and they told him where to get his dentures fixed.
“It was tough living on the street,” Michael shared. “I was angry a whole lot and sometimes I even took it out on the MK staff. At one point, they had to tell me not to come back for two weeks. I was mad, but after two weeks, MK welcomed me back and it was like nothing happened.”
The items Michael received from MK – socks, lotion, toothbrush, toothpaste, clothing – were all lifesavers that kept him going. While living outside, he lost all his ID, his high school diploma, his CDL certificate and all his paperwork from TSA. MK helped him to get a new ID and a replacement diploma.
Eventually, someone asked Michael why he hadn’t taken the assessment to determine if he qualified for housing. He did and it highlighted his medical problems. And then, finally, Andy from MK’s Outreach Team told him he was matched with a housing voucher. Michael was shocked. “Me?” he thought.
After months of paperwork and inspections, on August 9, 2019, Michael got the keys to his own apartment. He couldn’t believe it. It looked just like the apartment he had lost years ago. He laid down in the middle of the floor and made snow angels! “That was the first I was able to leave my bag somewhere in over four years.”
On August 12, Michael had surgery and didn’t have to worry about getting a bed at Christ House to recover – he could recover in his own home. A few months later, COVID hit, but Michael was safely housed and could survive. He was home.
“I wake up in the morning and there’s a ceiling above me – for years, the sky was my ceiling,” he said. “I put my feet down and they’re on the floor, not on the ground. When it rains hard, I remember I used to live out there. I’m just grateful. There’s nothing that matches MK.”
