Tonight we congratulate Dywanna and her daughter for getting out of the homeless shelter they were staying in and moving into their own rental. They have been homeless for 7 months, living in a shelter, after they experienced a crisis with a previous housing voucher as she explains below. After building a budget with Dywanna we were happy to pay her security deposit so they could move in. Since they have virtually no possessions, our volunteers will soon be delivering furniture and household goods to their apartment. Read Dywanna’s story below:
Dear OTS. I was working to get housed with my housing voucher and when I went to the housing office they told me that they’ll start to calculate my rent but until then they couldn’t help me find somewhere to stay even though on their paperwork, it states that they provided emergency shelter. They said the best advice they had was to call 211 until they were done calculating. After the thanksgiving weekend back in 2016 section 8 called me and told me, even with my updated income I still didn’t qualify for many apartments in California; so with very little choices, I called 211 and they provided me with a listing of all shelters in California. After four days of calling, one shelter accepted myself and my daughter.. Ever since then my daughter and I have been staying there for about seven months. During our time here my daughter and I have become volunteers helping put away cots, cleaning the chapel and shower room, and monitoring showers. The streets are dangerous with drug addicts desperate for money and gang members looking to prove themselves. There even been a few ladies that were attacked, sexually assaulted, and murdered by men who sleep in tents on the sidewalk. With there being a lot of women there isn’t enough of many things. For instant, they’re long lines for the bathroom, cots are taken quickly, seats in the day room, and they tend to run out of soap sometimes; and with everyone being low on funds, robbery , assault , murder is the largest problem staying there. I need help with a security deposit, furnishings and household items
Thank you, Dywanna
From all of us at OTS, we wish you and your daughter the very best in your new home!
This family brings our total placements to 132 this year, and our grand total to 442 since we started OTS just over 3 years ago.