Today we congratulate Angela for ending her homeless situation by getting into permanent housing. After we built a budget with her, Angela was able to find a rental she could afford and we were happy to help her get in by paying her security deposit. Read her story below of how hard she’s worked to escape her crisis of homelessness:

DEAR OTS,
I 1ST BECAME HOMELESS 11/16, AFTER RELOCATING HERE WITH A GUY I HAD KNOW 16 YRS AND TRUSTED. HE ASKED THAT I LEAVE AND I SLEPT OUTSIDE IN THE STREETS THAT NIGHT, SCARED,ALONE,ASHAMED, AND CRYING. I WOKE A FEW HOURS LATER TO A STRANGE GUY WHO TOLD ME I WAS IN A AREA WHERE I WASN’T SAFE ALONE. I BRIEFLY BEGAN TO EXPLAINED MY STORY, AND BURST OUT IN TEARS. I WAS ASHAMED, AND AS I BEGAN TO CRY, HE SUGGESTED I TRY PATH OF LIFE SHELTER. HE GAVE ME BUS FARE, DIRECTIONS, A BOTTLE WATER, AND PRAYED FOR ME. HOURS LATER, I ARRIVED AT POL, BUT TO EARLY FOR INTAKE. I SAT THERE CRYING AND CONFUSED. 5 HOURS I WAS LET IN AND MET WITH MY CASEWORKER. MRS. IRIS TALLEY, WHO AGREED TO FIND ME A PLACE ON THE FLOOR IF SHE COULDN’T GET ME A BED. SHE KEPT HER WORD AND AS I BROKE DOWN IN HER OFFICE SHE PROMISED IF I LISTEN PRAY AND GET FOCUSED I WOULD FIND MY STRENGTH AND BE ALRIGHT. I DID JUST THAT. BY 1/17 I WAS IN EVERY TRAINING PROGRAM THEY OFFERED. ONE DAY, THE EMPLOYMENT PIPELINE PROGRAM I HAD BEEN ATTENDING, OFFERED FREE P.E.T CLASSES. I JOINED. I GRADUATED. AND I FOUND A PART TIME JOB WORKING WITH THE HOMELESS AND MENTALLY ILL IN RECOVERY. I WAS TOLD I COULDN’T START TILL I MOVED OUT OF THE SHELTER, DUE TO CONFLICT OF INTEREST. I NEEDED THAT JOB, SO 4/17 I MOVED IN A ABANDONED RV. I WORKED PART TIME BUT TOOK ALL THE OVERTIME ALLOWED. I WORKED HARD AND EXCEEDED THE EXPECTATIONS OF MY JOB DESCRIPTION. I APPLIED FOR A FULL TIME INTERNAL POSITION, INTERVIEWED, AND WAS DEEMED QUALIFIED. I STARTED 4/21/18, IN PALM SPRINGS. MY VERBAL RENTAL AGREEMENT IN THE ABANDONED RV ENDS 4/30/18. I WAS A VICTIM OF IDENTITY THEFT AND HAVE A RIVERSIDE POLICE REPORT,AND VICTIM REPORT FROM THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY. HOWEVER, I CAN’T AFFORD CONTINUED APPLICATIONS FEES. MOST PLACES WANT DEPOSIT, 1ST MONTH’S RENT, AND SOMETIMES OTHER FEES ASSOCIATED WITH MOVING INTO A PLACE. AFTER BUDGET DISCUSSION, I CAN AFFORD MONTHLY RENT. –ANGELA

Angela is the 65th person we’ve helped escape homelessness this year and the 575th person we’ve helped since we started OTS in 2014. Read more about our mission of housing the homeless at OTSHB.COM.