From Car to Keys: A Journey Home

I was working as a parking lot attendant at Gold’s Gym at the time I ran into an old junior high and high School friend of mine, Diane.* She had just moved back to town from Washington with her cat, White Snake.

She drove through the lot and stopped near me.
“Hey” she said, “I know you.”

She parked, walked toward me, and gave me a big hug. She asked me how I was. I told her that after being homeless for six years, I had found housing and become an AmeriCorps member. I explained that I wanted to help others who were experiencing homelessness since it was a hard way of life.

She looked at me and admitted, “I’m living in my car.”
My heart sank as I realized she was all alone with just her cat.

She came to get a membership at Gold’s gym so that she could use the shower. Each week we would talk about the steps she needed to take to get a housing voucher. I recommended that she enroll in a program for those living out of their cars.

When I gave my notice to leave the parking attendant job, I let  Diane know that I was available to help guide her through the process to obtain housing. I told her about a Friday drop-in center near the University of California at Santa Barbara where we host a coffee hour and provide resources and referrals for the unhoused. AmeriCorps staff and members help people experiencing homelessness navigate the process to apply for housing and support in Santa Barbara County through collaborating with multiple agencies.

Diane made several visits to the drop-in center to make sure that all her paperwork was in order so that she could apply for housing. My AmeriCorps peers and I confirmed that all her documentation was complete so that she was eligible to apply for a housing voucher.

She looked tired. Living in her car had taken its toll on her.

I did not give up on her. I told her to keep coming on Fridays and to continue to stay connected with the County Housing Authority where she had applied for a unit. Diane was organized and quickly followed through on all the needed steps. She began coming regularly to the coffee hour we hosted so she could get a bagel, hot coffee, talk and laugh with others in a warm community environment.

The time with us at Friday Coffee Hour was a buffer against her frustration for her housing and financial challenges. I could see and feel that she was starting to get depressed. She needed new brakes on her car that she depended on for her part-time job. Her case manager told her that because she could not contribute to the repair, it might take a long time for the agency to approve the repairs. She felt as if she had run out of options. I encouraged her to continue to keep in touch with me.

The following Friday, Diane met a County Housing Authority representative who came to volunteer at our Friday Coffee Hour. Within a week, Diane called me to let me know that she had received a housing offer. With the AmeriCorps team’s advocacy and collaboration with partner agencies, there was a plan in place to fix Diane’s brakes. She has already moved into her new place with help from the agency who initially offered her support for living out of her car.

When Diane left coffee hour that Friday, we could all see that she was relieved and visibly looked happier. Diane was housed in less than a year. I was happy to have been a vital part of getting her an apartment. I look forward to visiting her at her new place once she has settled.

Together, AmeriCorps members welcomed, comforted, and advocated for Diane, but it was her determination to get herself out of homelessness that made it all happen.

*Name changed to protect her privacy.