After being unhoused for almost 6 years, this past June, Lotty* celebrated finally having a place for her and her son to call home. "I have my own spot, my own kitchen, my own bathroom, my own bedroom, the baby has his own bedroom, and my rent is very affordable. I am so grateful!" says Lotty.
Before engaging with Caminar's Resource Connect Solano (RCS) program, a Coordinated Entry System that ensures all people experiencing a housing crisis have fair and equal access to housing programs, Lotty was frustrated with the housing system. Lotty has a prior eviction in her housing record and, since then, has struggled to get approved for quality housing.
Lotty says the staff at RCS were welcoming and interested in her story. The RCS team learned that her previous landlord evicted her after she withheld rent because he failed to properly address a rat infestation. Unfortunately, Lotty did not have legal help, and she lost her case against the landlord. She became unhoused, had few belongings since the rats compromised most of it, and barely enough money for storage. Lotty had few options to change her circumstances.
"I had to rush out! I didn't have the proper help to move, and they were going to lock me out. The men just put all my stuff on the grass."
For years, Lotty lived in her car, parking between trucks at Walmart to sleep, sometimes staying with family or friends. As a result of the instability, Lotty lost custody of her son for a few years–the most heartbreaking loss. "He has been back with me now for three years," she said with relief.
Prior to obtaining housing, Lotty and her son lived in a family shelter, getting by, working to address housing and her health as a chronically ill disabled woman, who has experienced several blood clots since becoming unhoused. "The only thing on my mind was securing housing; that was my main focus. After six years, I finally met my goal, I got myself a place to stay, and when I got it, I could not believe it. I believe it will be two weeks on Friday."
She explains that the RCS staff worked to assemble a compelling housing application, and to her surprise, it was approved! "The staff at RCS were beautiful! Before, I was throwing money away for application fees just to get denied over and over because I had an eviction on my record."
Lotty shares that accessing housing has helped her mental health considerably. "Who wants to not have a home, sleep on the streets, sleep in your car, or even be at a shelter no matter how nice they are? Plus, now I don't have to eat out every day! I ate so much fast food, I gained so much weight, and my son's diet was so bad. I can cook here! When I was unhoused, I would have to buy food once a day and hope it would keep me full all day because you can't return for more. Now I have my kitchen, can cook, and can access food all day! Most importantly, I have my own room, and my son has his own room. I am very grateful, so grateful," says Lotty.
Although grateful, Lotty has dreams of a place that is wheelchair accessible and large enough for her to redecorate with mirrors and furniture like the ones she so tragically lost years ago. "I am going to make it," shares Lotty.
*To honor our program participant's privacy, we used an alias in this story.
