Linda’s Story
Linda was facing homelessness and lived in her car with her small dog, Baby, for several years. That was until she made contact with CFTH, where she was assessed for her housing and service needs. With their help, Linda eventually moved into Permanent Supportive Housing at The Elwood. She continued to live there until 2022, when she received a hip replacement. Linda needed a more accessible apartment because of this, and The Meridan had a ground-floor unit available. Both apartment complexes were built by the Housing Initiative, LLC for people ending their homelessness through Permanent Supportive Housing. The Vancouver Housing Authority provides property management and service coordination. SeaMar/Community Services Northwest provides supportive services.
Council for the Homeless and others in Vancouver follow a Housing First approach in which Permanent Supportive Housing combines permanent housing and rental assistance with voluntary support services. Though services are highly encouraged, they are not a requirement for housing. When people engage on their own terms, services such as independent living, tenancy skills, and engagement with community-based healthcare treatment and employment services are much more successful. Since The Elwood opened in 2021, it has had a 93% success rate of keeping tenants permanently housed. 53 of the 57 original tenants still reside at The Elwood or transferred to other permanent living situations.
After being permanently housed, Linda got to know her neighbors and built a sense of community. She was able to manage her substance use recovery and started volunteering at Recovery Cafe, a resource center for people addressing substance use challenges. Recovery Coach classes Linda began taking would prepare her to offer peer support to others in Clark County. Because of having the important foundation of home, Linda was also able to attend classes at Clark Community College to receive her Washington State High School Diploma.
Linda advocates wholeheartedly for the Housing First approach. “Housing is a foundation. You need it to move forward. Without that, where are you going to get cleaned up for a job? Where are you going to wash your clothes, shower, or eat? When you’re living on the streets, that’s very hard…People hear and see many negative things but don’t get the full story of how Housing First works.”
Today, Linda continues volunteering at Recovery Cafe, serving dinner during weekdays and leading a support group on the weekends. She states, “thanks to these supportive housing units, Baby and I were able to find a home together…everything worked out for me, and I’m ready to continue to grow.” Linda has applied for a housing choice voucher and is looking to move out of supportive housing and into the community, living in conventional housing wherever she’d like.” Case Management will continue working with her and supporting her on her journey. CFTH, and other Housing First supporters, can’t wait to see what the future holds for Linda!