By Charlene Welch, Council for the Homeless
Recently I visited with a client named Maria. We talked over tea. She told me she and husband have custody of their two granddaughters both under age 16. One granddaughter has health challenges and receives regular medical care in Portland. The family’s journey led them from living in a car, to a shelter, to an unsafe apartment and back to a car. They are now in a safe and stable apartment in Vancouver thanks to the support of donors like you.

Here are excerpts from our conversation, which illustrate Maria’s family’s story.

 What was life like before you moved in to this apartment?  It was scary and unsettled. I always worried about my girls, trying to keep them in school and help them get on with their homework. I have diabetes and not having a kitchen made it hard to cook.

What type of help did Council for the Homeless provide? The people who work at the Housing Solutions Center are what helped the most. I had someone to talk to about our situation, you know, being homeless. They helped us make a plan and identify an apartment. Then, they helped pay part of the application fee and deposit in order to move in. There is no way we could have saved the money to move, especially with the demands of my granddaughter’s health.

How is your family doing now? Being in this apartment is a relief. It is clean, near the bus and a park. The bus goes by a store and I can get to the food bank. Our girls have a room and a bathroom to share. That is a first. We are healing. The constant stress is coming down. I got my holiday decorations out for the first time in years. That was nice.

Maria teared up when she answered this question, “What do you want people to know about homelessness?” 

We are normal people just like you. We are not lazy. It is a hard thing. The help is a lifesaver.

Council for the Homeless is grateful for partners and donors who make it possible for families like Maria’s to find a home and a healing path forward in their lives.