By ANDREA LOPEZ and ROB CURRY

(WARRENSBURG, Mo., digitalBURG) – The liquor store was familiar territory for Nicole Randleas-Michalek. It was also a place that brought her much pain.

Taking the last $3 she had in cash, Randleas-Michalek purchased half a pint of alcohol to drink with the intention of getting drunk and killing herself.

It was Valentine’s Day, just a few months ago, and Randleas-Michalek was homeless and alone.

“I had nowhere to go,” she said. “I didn’t have family to turn to. So what do I do? And because the way alcoholics, or anyone with a substance abuse problem, that’s how they tend to think.”

When she took that first drink, seven years and three days of sobriety slipped away.

Out of fear of what she would do to herself, Randleas-Michalek walked across the street from the apartment she had just been kicked out of and sought medical attention.

“OK, now I have $36 on my check, what do I do?” she said. “I can’t pay $400 a month rent on $36 a week. That barely buys toilet paper and food.”

That’s how it all started.

After suffering an ankle injury, losing her job, relapsing after several years of sobriety, and being kicked out of her apartment for not being able to pay rent, Randleas-Michalek came to Warrensburg from Mexico, Missouri, with little hope.

“I’ve always been really strong. I’ve always been a survivor. I’ve always been an extremely hard worker, dependable, always honest, always there for other people, never in a million years,” she said. “Probably, I’m living my worst nightmare.”

Calling it high-class homelessness, Randleas-Michalek credits the local homeless shelter for being alive.

“If it wasn’t for Destiny House, I would be one of those sleeping in the woods, sleeping in a dumpster, sleeping behind a concrete wall,” she said. “I don’t know if I could do that honestly. I don’t think I’m a strong enough person.”

In Randleas-Michalek’s case, losing her job led her to homelessness. For others, it can be domestic violence, financial issues, divorce or foreclosure on their homes.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 26.6 percent of Warrensburg residents were living below the poverty level between 2009 and 2013. In Johnson County the rate was 17.6 percent, and 15.4 percent for Missouri.

And while student housing plays a large factor in the number of rentals, the rate of homeownership in Warrensburg is 40.7 percent compared to 68.4 percent for Missouri.

“There’s a majority of people in the United States that are living paycheck to paycheck,” Randleas-Michalek said.

But living paycheck to paycheck only applies to the employed.

“People sit there and say, ‘Why don’t you go get a job and work?’” she said. “OK, well what address do you use? What shower do you use so you don’t smell and stink like dirt and rot when you go to work? What phone do you use to call back and follow up on the applications or to be called back to come in for an interview? There’s a lot missing.”

From the story of salesman Chris Gardner in the movie “Pursuit of Happyness” to the upbringing of rising athlete Michael Oher in “The Blind Side,” our culture seems to be intrigued with the storyline of people overcoming adversity. However, when it comes to aiding the homeless, Randleas-Michalek said people tend to judge rather than lend a helping hand.

Randleas-Michalek said people don’t realize how true the storylines are. Especially for Chris Gardner.

“He didn’t have to build himself up to be a suit-and-tie guy,” she said. “You can be the suit-and-tie guy and go the other way and become homeless.”

Similar to the ALS ice bucket challenge that went viral, Randleas-Michalek said she’s ready to see people experience a week in the life of a homeless person.

“I would love to challenge or see some of these other people or city officials do this because I don’t think most people could do it,” she said.

Former Warrensburg mayor and current Councilmember Donna DeFrain couldn’t agree more.

“For myself, you think you understand what they’re going through, what it’s like for them but you can’t,” she said. “It’s not that city officials aren’t aware of it, but it’s agencies in town that take care of it. Those agencies are dealing with the situation more than city officials are.”

Organizations such as Recovery Lighthouse provide resources for the homeless. They are also there for anyone seeking a welcoming atmosphere, said June Louderback, a recovery coach with the organization.

“A lot of people from Destiny House come here specifically because the clients will tell each other this is a safe place to hang – it’s not just a place to come in for counseling,” Louderback said. “Sometimes you just need a place to get out of the rain, a place to get out of the cold or the heat – a place to find other people who are supportive of your recovery.”

While resources may seem limited in a small town such as Warrensburg, Louderback says they’re out there – one must find them.

“Every town has resources that may not always be recognizable – like where you can get a free meal,” she said. “If you’ve never helped the homeless, if you’ve never helped people who are out there in need, then you may not realize how many resources there actually are.”

The Warrensburg R-6 School District received a two-year grant provided by the Missouri Department of Secondary and Elementary Education to assist homeless students.

Warrensburg received full funding from The Homeless Children and Youth Grant for the 2013-2014 school year. The grant helped pay for tutoring, transportation, school supplies and other programs for students who lack a “fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence,” according to DESE.

Warrensburg has been recommended for full funding, $400 per homeless student, for the 2015-2016 school year. The funding is awaiting final approval from DESE.

And while those enrolled receive free lunches through the free and reduced lunch program, other groups are working to feed the city. The Nehemiah Feeding Project at Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church on the west side of town offers free meals Monday through Friday.

At the Salvation Army, Neena Frederick is always concerned about nutrition.

“We were getting a lot of people from Destiny House and we were hearing that they were leaving from a certain time to a certain time and they were coming in hungry and needing food,” Frederick said. “I could just not see people being hungry and not do anything about it.”

From barbecue pulled chicken sandwiches to spaghetti, Frederick prepares and serves food to those hungry every Tuesday and Thursday at the Warrensburg Salvation Army, 123 N. Holden St. in downtown Warrensburg.

Frederick said it was easy for her to get involved with assisting the less fortunate because she’s been through it herself.

“We’re all one check away from being in a different position,” she said. “I’ve been homeless. I’ve been hungry. I’ve had my lights turned out. I’ve been in places where I’ve been evicted or was almost evicted. So I’ve seen both sides.”

Frederick said she encourages people to give their time because it’s people helping people.

“People don’t really know the need because they don’t come in and see what the need is,” she said. “Our neighbors, our friends, co-workers – we need volunteers.”

At Bethlehem Lutheran Church in town, it’s no different.

“Everybody has things that happen in life that make life tough, especially for me as a pastor, my understanding is Jesus said the two most important things are to love God with your whole being and to love others as much as yourself,” pastor Joel Kurz said. “It’s not just a love that is a feeling, but a love that is an action and tangible gift you give by doing…sometimes all they want is someone to listen and someone to care.”

There are also people in the community who are trying to help. Paul Diaz, of Clinton, Missouri, a social work student at State Fair Community College in Sedalia, Missouri, had his first encounter with a homeless man on Pine Street in September 2013.

A man sitting on the patio of Java Junction at the corner of Pine and Holden streets asked him for a dollar.

“I can give anyone a dollar. I thought I’d give him my time instead, sit down and talk to him,” Diaz said.

“Wanna see something crazy,” the homeless man asked. He pulled off his shoes.

“Blisters upon blisters everywhere. I don’t know how he was walking in such excruciating pain,” Diaz said.

Diaz went to Wal-Mart to buy him a new pair of shoes and pants, and the man shared part of his story. He told Diaz people were sleeping behind the Super 8 Motel, in the field next to Western Missouri Medical Center and in a local park.

Diaz began visiting a group panhandling at the train depot downtown. He said some stayed there because of the high traffic of people, and that there were new people every day due to the Amtrak schedule.

He listened to their stories.

From what he heard, it seemed some were born into poverty.

“It’s hard to get out of poverty, to move upward,” Diaz said. “They were dealt a bad deck of life’s cards.

“I think part of it may also have to do with addiction. It’s hard to maintain a job or healthy relationships.”

While Randleas-Michalek said she lost everything, including her children’s birth certificates, she relies on her faith to guide her each day.

“Whether it be an earthquake, flash flood, tornado – one of the first things people say is, ‘God, help us,’” she said. “Well you don’t have to have big natural disasters to still feel that way. You don’t have to have something bad going on.”

And Randleas-Michalek seeks solace in understanding.

“We’re humans also,” she said. “Just because we have less than doesn’t mean we should be treated less than.”