Did You Know?
In a 50-city survey, the number of homeless people greatly exceeded the number of emergency shelter and transitional housing spaces.
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Maria, Ventura County, CA
Maria was living in Port Hueneme, CA with her three children and her niece, whom she had custody of at the time. Her younger brother came to stay with her for two weeks and she was evicted because he was not on the lease. Maria struggled to care for her young family while being evicted, yet she was unable to find a new place during the tumultuous eviction process.
She stayed with her sister in Wilmington for about two weeks, but had to drive two hours through traffic from there to where she worked in Oxnard. She and her children began staying in motels but soon ran out of money because of the expense. She began sleeping in her car on the weekends so she could work and go to school in Oxnard. At times, she would be able to leave her children with her sister or ex-husband, but it was not the kind of transient life she wanted for them.
She began working two jobs to help make ends meet. While she was working as a receptionist at a private school in Port Hueneme, her supervisor told her about the RAIN Shelter. The RAIN Shelter houses homeless families and is operated by the County of Ventura. Maria spoke to a staff member at RAIN, and she and her children were able to move in that night.
Maria stayed at RAIN for a period of four months. While there she attended mandatory meetings and workshops that helped her to plan her life and budget her money. She also received some valuable counseling. Because of the assistance of the people at RAIN, Maria is now living in a house in Ventura with her four children. RAIN helped her not only in preparation for the transition, but they also assisted her in actually moving into her new home.
With HomeAid Los Angeles/Ventura's assistance through in-kind donations of labor and materials, the RAIN shelter can now accommodate 84 people in all. Maria has seen the work that HomeAid Los Angeles/Ventura has done at the RAIN facility. She is enthusiastic about the increased opportunities this renovation will provide for other families in need of a fresh start at life in a positive and supportive environment.
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