Veteran says Joliet transitional housing program ‘best thing that ever happened to me’

When Matthew Celmer served in the military in Iraq in the 2000s, one of the missions of his battalion was to help build medical facilities, schools and improve the lives of people living in deplorable conditions.

But when Celmer returned from Iraq, he said he suffered a series of tragedies and setbacks that put him on the path to alcohol addiction. Celmer said he eventually became homeless in 2023 and took shelter at MorningStar Mission in Joliet.

While there, Celmer said he waited for a bed to open up at a Joliet transitional house for the Family and Friends Homeless Veterans Program, which is run by Catherine Beavers.

After Celmer arrived at the house, he took on a different mission.

“The mission became pretty simple: I gotta get out of here and live on my own. And if it wasn’t for Cathy and this program, I’d be telling you a different story,” Celmer said.

Through the Family and Friends Homeless Veterans Program, Celmer said he was able to confront his alcohol addiction and get his life back together. He said he became financially stable and moved last April into an apartment in Downers Grove.

Beavers said under the Family and Friends Homeless Veterans Program, veterans receive shelter which “makes a world of difference.”

“You don’t have to worry about housing because that’s your biggest concern. By having a roof over your head, then you can get counseling and get things together,” Beavers said.

Celmer said under the program, he attends group therapy and a Narcotics Anonymous class. He said he initially had the “stereotypical” angry attitude of someone who didn’t believe they needed therapy.

“But it ended up being amazing because I never realized alcohol was an actual addiction,” Celmer said.

When asked what the U.S. could do to better help veterans, Celmer said the country should do more for homeless veterans. He said there is a need for more places like the Family and Friends Homeless Veterans Program.

Celmer said he was born in Buffalo, New York, and moved across the country several times throughout his youth. He finished high school in Wisconsin and enlisted in the Army National Guard in 2001. He was with the 724th Engineer Battalion.

“It was for my selfish personal gain when I first joined. But then 9/11 happened and that changed everything,” Celmer said.

He was first deployed to Iraq in 2003 and deployed again in 2010.

Celmer said under Saddam Hussein’s government, people were forced to live in terrible conditions. Water pumps had to be repaired so people could produce agriculture again.

“We went back in and we fixed them and helped build medical facilities [and] schools for kids. You don’t hear too much of that stuff,” Celmer said.

Celmer said he ended up suffering from vertigo from the fire pits in Iraq, as well as post-traumatic stress disorder.

After he returned from his last tour in Iraq, his sister died, and Celmer said he began drinking. He went through financial troubles, spent time working “nonsense jobs” and “made a lot of bad choices,” he said. He landed a job with Navistar International but then lost it in 2021 when the company was acquired by Volkswagen.

Celmer said he suffered from a “massive” depression as a result.

“I had an altercation with my father and the next day I was served with an order of protection. I lost my guns. State took my [firearm owner’s identification card]. I was defending myself is what happened. When the cops showed up, I was instantly homeless,” he said.

Celmer said he went to the Veterans Assistance Commission of Will County in Joliet for assistance. He spent 22 days at MorningStar Mission while waiting for a bed to open up at the Family and Friends Homeless Veterans Program.

Now that Celmer has gotten his life back together, he wants to start traveling and truly enjoy his life for the first time.

“It’s the best thing that ever happened to me,” Celmer said.