This interviewee wanted to remain anonymous, so the name "Amy X." is used as a replacement for her privacy :)
Amy X. is an older woman currently experiencing homelessness. Her first words to me during our interview were: "I'm surprised to be here. This is the last place that I would've thought that I would end up." This is understandable, as she grew up in a nice family and had a career in senior management for quite some time that "made very good money." Amy shared that she had her own houses & lived outside of the country for some time as well. She stated that before homelessness she "was doing very well."
Unfortunately, during the Covid-19 pandemic, Amy was out of work & suffered a severe head injury. She was hospitalized for several months, and even though she had a good amount of money set aside, she went bankrupt due to medical bills. After she was dispatched from the hospital, she was put in assisted living for a little while. However, she wanted to get out of there immediately because she believed that she "was completely capable of taking care of [herself]."
After she left the assisted living home, she visited a Catholic Diocese that placed her in a motel for some time while she figured out where she was going to stay. Amy then moved into a house for a few weeks, however, she was not able to sustain it due to her financial troubles.
She & her family searched all over the county for any available homeless resources. Amy shared that resources are "not easily found" & that "calling 211 was almost useless." She also said that "a lot of these places really just don't have the resources to help anybody even though they advertise that they do." After calling almost every place in town, she only found 2 resources that were helpful, one of those being Grandma's House of Hope.
Amy sent in her application to GHOH & was accepted! She has been living there for 4-5 months now and is extremely thankful for all of the resources that they provide. Amy has a position as the assistant community leader, so she helps the other women at the shelter get on the right path, whether that's going back to school, getting a job, etc. She also regularly goes to the library and takes Spanish classes!
Amy said that after the pandemic all of the events fell one after the other, like a "rolling freight train," but that at least now she is at Grandma's House of Hope to get back on her feet & live out a wonderful life!
Thank you so much for sharing your story with the world Amy! You are making such a huge difference in the world :)
If you would like to learn more about Grandma's House of Hope, click here.
Donate to Project WHY today so that we can continue to interview these amazing people! Project WHY is a 501(c)(3) non-profit public benefit corporation registered with the State of California & the United States government. 100% of your tax-deductible donation goes to supporting individuals experiencing homelessness! :)