‘Irish Mike’ Returns Home

By Sheila Helgerson, executive director, Cornerstone Community Housing (CCH) in Baltimore, Md.

The back door was open.

Jim (case manager at CCH’s Earl’s Place) and I looked at each other and knew what had happened. Michael, known to everyone at Earl’s Place as “Irish Mike,” was gone.

We ran down the street searching for an 85-year-old man with dementia and a rollator. A few blocks away, we found him trying to cross the street, frustrated that traffic would not let him through. We were just relieved to find him.

That moment marked a turning point.

Michael came to Earl’s Place on June 24, 2019, just after his 79th birthday. Before that, he had been living in a vacant building. After falling several times, he moved to a convalescent care unit at an emergency shelter. He had no income, no identification, and no clear path forward. Michael was born in Ireland, but after decades in the United States, he had never become a U.S. citizen, and he had no realistic way to return home on his own.

At Earl’s Place, Michael became part of the family. He chaired the weekly AA meeting, helped with mailings, loved a good joke, and dressed with pride. It was not unusual to see him in a suit or shirt and tie, and sometimes in more than one outfit in a single day.

Over the years, we supported Michael through COVID, a hip replacement, increasing confusion and forgetfulness, and eventually dementia. As his needs grew, our concern did too.

We worried about what would happen if we could no longer care for him, including where he might end up, what kind of care he would receive, and whether he might become homeless again. So, we kept working. Jim made a connection with a woman in Ireland, Mary Ann, who became an invaluable resource and supported us for two years.

With help, Michael secured his Irish State Pension and obtained a duplicate passport, so he finally had identification. 

By November 2025, Earl’s Place was no longer safe for him. Michael often thought he was in Ireland and needed to go home because his mother was waiting for him or because he was on his way to church. The day he left through the back door, Jim and I took him to Mercy Hospital.

The hospital became his home. The staff cared for him with compassion and dignity. We visited often, but over time, it became clear that Michael did not always recognize us.

After many conversations, emails, and coordination with agencies in Ireland and the Irish Embassy, we got the news we had hoped for: We never gave up on Michael, and neither did the many people who joined us along the way.

On June 11, the staff at Mercy Hospital threw a party for Michael’s 86th birthday. Five days later, on June 16, he was on a plane to Ireland. Jim thought Michael should have someone he knew with him, so he used his vacation time to help him settle into his new home. It was a fitting end to a seven-year journey that started when Michael first came to Earl’s Place with nowhere else to go.

Many people cared for Michael and made his journey home possible. Jim worked hard to fill every gap. Renard, Earl’s Place house manager and Michael’s across-the-hall neighbor, cooked for him, watched over him when he got his days and nights mixed up, and treated him like family. Staff from Health Care for the Homeless stayed in touch and provided steady support. Mercy Hospital cared for him with extraordinary kindness. Countless people in Ireland helped make his return possible.

Michael came to Earl’s Place with no income, no identification, no family nearby, and no clear path forward. Seven years later, thanks to so many people who refused to let him fall through the cracks, he went home to Ireland with dignity.

It truly takes a village. Together, we made a small miracle possible.