“For the first time in eight years, I have my own real bed,” shares Lola.
Lola had worked for years with a local hotel chain and was doing okay, making ends meet at least, until the day she started to get sick. It turned out that the hotel had a mold problem, and it was affecting Lola’s health.
Lola was able to get medical treatment, but whenever she went to work she had to wear a mask. Her employer started to treat her differently and she was no longer given the same opportunities she had prior to her illness.
So, Lola jumped when she was presented with the opportunity to become a live-in caregiver for a woman she had known for several months. She put in her notice to both her employer and her landlord; however, before she started her new caregiver job everything fell through.
Lola quickly found herself without a job and without a place to live. She was able to stay with different friends each for a week or so at a time, but eventually she ran out of friends to stay with. She started to stay nights at a local shelter last November.
That’s also when Lola found a part-time job and a gas station and got connected with MSC’s THRIVE Program. Lola learned about THRIVE after getting signed up with ORCA Lift through an MSC outreach program. ORCA Lift is a program providing reduced fare for public transit.
Through THRIVE, Lola was able to get free bus tickets and clothing for her new job. Things were still hard though. It was difficult to get more than two hours sleep at the shelter, and her work pants kept on getting stolen. After a couple of months at the shelter, Lola was back staying with friends and couch-hopping until she finally got a place of her own.
Through the Rapid Rehousing program, Lola found a place to call home in one of MSC’s affordable rent apartments. MSC helped connect Lola with a resource for furniture and for the first time in eight years she is sleeping on a real mattress, not a couch or an air mattress. Lola is continuing to look for another part-time job, or a full-time job that would provide her with a livable-wage salary. MSC continues to support Lola throughout her job search by providing resources and tools to help her succeed.
“My case manager at MSC was so genuinely supportive, so real, it set MSC apart from the other organizations where I’ve received help,” shared Lola. “She can relate to me, she’s someone I’d want for a lifetime in my corner. “
