He kept the news quiet for a few days, spending one final weekend sleeping on the floor of Aspen’s St Mary Catholic Church, before revealing to friends there of his new-found fortune.
Mr Engfors told Denver news station KUSA that he’s struggled with alcoholism, losing his business and going through a divorce.
The Colorado Lottery said the odds of hitting the top prize in the scratch lottery were 840,000 to 1.
The Aspen Homeless Shelter organised to drive him to collect his winnings on Monday.
“Michael has seen a bottom that has pushed him right to the edge,” Jeremy Kowalis from the shelter told KUSA.
“But Michael never gave up. He knew that if he kept pushing on, eventually his luck would change.
“I asked him what he was gonna do, and he said he wanted to get some skis and he really wanted to connect with his daughter who he hadn’t seen in over 20 years.
“He’s interested in trying to find out how to go about reaching her and reconnecting with her now that he’s got a little bit more means to do so.”
Gabby Garcia, who works at the Shell station where the winning ticket was sold, told the Aspen Times Mr Engfors was a frequent lottery player.
She said he often cashed in on $1 or $2 winning scratchies, but on Friday, he came running into the station shouting, “I won”.
“All the time, he’s outside,” she said. “He comes in all the time with winning tickets.”
Mr Kowalis said Mr Engfors’ story was an inspirational one.
“It’s really inspired so many people, because out of all of the people, especially in Aspen, Colorado, that could win half a million dollars, it couldn’t happen to a better type of person than somebody who actually uses the homeless shelter,” he told KUSA.
“I don’t think he normally spends $10 a day on a lottery ticket. But he did that day, and it sure paid off.”
