From homeless to homeowner: A Long Island veteran shares his story
Michael Sweeney, a Navy veteran, struggled with PTSD and alcohol. He said he couch surfed for two years, with no place of his own to call him home. But he got help and he got sober.
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Michael Sweeney, a Navy veteran, is about to get the keys to his new home in Sayville.
The purchase is the culmination of years of challenges and grit.
"A little over five years ago, I was a homeless veteran," Michael Sweeney said. "And things weren't looking good."
Sweeney, a Navy veteran, struggled with PTSD and alcohol. He said he couch surfed for two years, with no place of his own to call him home. But he got help and he got sober.
On Wednesday, he'll get the keys to his piece of the American Dream: a new home in Sayville.
Sweeney said when he stopped drinking he was able to start putting money away, which helped him to purchase his home.
Among the organizations that helped Sweeney turn his life around, he said one stands out: Paws of War.
"They're not only saving animals, they're saving human lives," Sweeney said. The organization matched him with his service dog, Storm, who rarely, if ever, leaves Sweeney's side. "I save her. She saved me. But she's saving me every day," Sweeney told News 12.
