Deputy Sheriff Jacob Swalwell
Deputy Sheriff Jacob saw a man named Mick Myers begging for cash at his usual spot in Hayward, California. This wasn’t the first time that Jacob confronted the homeless man. He had told him plenty of times that he couldn’t panhandle in this area, but Micheal returned time and time again.
Ticket and Identification
When Jacob saw Mick, he told him that he couldn’t panhandle on the freeway, and this time, he was going to write him a ticket. Jacob asked Mick for his ID, but Mick said that he didn’t have one. He told Jacob that he had no ID and no social security card. Mick told Jacob his story, and Jacob found it to be heartbreaking.
Mick’s Early Life
Micheal’s life was never easy. When he was young, he was adopted. His adoptive mother cared for him and appreciated him, but his adoptive siblings weren’t quite as welcoming. Mick struggled to live in a home where he felt that he wasn’t wanted, so when he graduated from high school, he got a job as a truck driver, which would keep him on the road. When his adoptive parents died, so did the only people who ever cared about him. He was on his own in the world, and things got even harder for Mick.
Unable to Drive
When Mick’s health began to fail, he was no longer able to drive his truck. He had no savings, no family, and nowhere to turn. He lost his home and started living on the streets, now a homeless human being. The only way that he could earn enough money to feed himself was to panhandle on the side of the road. He relied on the generosity of others to help him get by. It wasn’t an easy life, but it was all he knew. When he spoke with Jacob, he told him a bit about himself and how he ended up on the streets. He explained that he didn’t have a social security card, which was necessary to get an ID. Without an ID, he didn’t have many options. Jacob decided that instead of giving Mick a ticket which he wouldn’t be able to pay, he would do what he could to help.
Working For Mick
Jacob realized that the system had failed Mick, and it was up to him to do everything that he could to help. His first mission was to help Mick get an ID. He had to make three trips to the DMV to get it. Before he was able to get the ID, the DMV required a social security card. Jacob helped Mick get the things that he needed, and finally, he was able to get him an ID. With the necessary proof of identity, there were plenty of things that Jacob could do for Mick.
Essential Benefits
Now that Mick had the proper identification, Jacob worked on getting him off the streets. This began with getting him healthy, and he needed health insurance to do that. Jacob helped him apply for Medicaid, and Jacob was able to see a doctor to have his ailments treated. Next, Jacob knew that Mick needed income. With a steady source of income, he would be able to afford a place to live. Jacob helped him apply for Social Security benefits, which he was approved for. Finally, Jacob had to help him with food. Most of the money Mick made went toward food, so if Jacob could help him get food stamps, he wouldn’t need to panhandle ever again. Mick’s life was really turning around, but there was still something missing. His family.
Private Investigator
Jacob had a friend who was a private investigator, and he asked him to help find any of Mick’s living relatives. The private investigator, Mark Askins, first asked for Mick’s permission in the search, and Mick was more than willing to accept help. Mark was looking for any living relatives of Mick’s, and he managed to find his birth mother.
Success
Mick was excited when Mark told him that he found his family and also his birth mother. Mick reached out to her, and the two talked for a while. They decided that they should meet in person. Two weeks later, Mick got on a small plane with the flight crew and Jacob by his side. He brought the guitar that Jacob had purchased him as a gift, and he brought his high school yearbook. He wanted his mother to see what his life was like growing up. Mick says that being on a plane for the first time, heading to meet his birth family, was the most exciting time of his life.
Meeting His Family
When Mick and Jacob got off the plane, there was a woman there to meet them. She told them that her name was Shannon, and she was his niece. Mick couldn’t believe that he had a niece. She took the two men to Mick’s mother, Polly’s house. As soon as Polly saw her son, she hugged him. She looked at Jacob and told him that she was an angel for reuniting her with her son. Mick even got to talk to his brother on the phone. Finally, Mick felt like he belonged somewhere.
Help Not Harm
This man had been homeless for three decades, but then a cop helped him find out his true identity, and it changed his life forever. Jacob could have given Mick a ticket and left him no choice but to go back to the freeway to panhandle, but instead, he gave him his life. What Jacob did for Mick was genuinely incredible.
