Carmela and Chris remember being homeless like it was yesterday. One morning in 2007, Chris went to the restaurant where he worked to find it all boarded up. Shortly after, Carmela found out she was pregnant with their first child. After her maternity leave, she was unable to find employment.
“We were good citizens — working hard and paying our taxes — just like everyone else. We were able to buy whatever we wanted. Then one day the bad economy hit and we were jobless and on our way to becoming homeless,” says Carmela.
Chris’s unemployment benefits, temporary employment here and there, and help from Chris’s mom kept them in a motel for a short while; however, they soon ended up “couch-surfers,” relying on the kindness of friends, and sometimes acquaintances, to provide them with shelter for a night or two. Eventually, they had depleted their savings, Chris’s unemployment had run out, and they found themselves in a group shelter.
The shelter was a scary place to be with young girls. “I always slept with one eye open,” says Carmela. “We had a bunk, and strangers surrounding us. You didn’t know who you could trust.”
Carmela spent all her time trying to find some permanency for her family. She called 211 diligently every morning by 7:59 to make sure their name stayed on the waiting list for transitional housing. She jumped through all the hoops, and did anything requested of her to make sure her family would be able to find the safe and secure housing they needed to thrive.
Carmela’s persistence paid off. A year ago, Diana from MSC called them and they entered MSC’s temporary housing program. “That call from Diana was what we needed to keep going,” says Carmela. “This is now my home. I have a yard, my own doors, and my own carport, even though I don’t have a car. We can feel safe, and our kids can be happy.”
Both Chris and Carmela want a different life for their children than they experienced. Chris and Carmela met when they were young and attended a therapeutic daycare for children of addicted parents. Carmela laughs as she remembers her first encounter with Chris when they had a disagreement over who got to play with the train. At 16, they reconnected and have been best friends ever since. Now both 28 years old, Carmela and Chris have three daughters: Kya, age 5, Keilie, age 4, and little Masumi who is 18 months old.
Carmela and Chris are thankful for the contributions the community makes to support families in MSC’s housing programs. “I didn’t have pots and pans to cook for my girls, and I was able to get some because someone had made a donation of pots and pans,” says Carmela. “The value of those donations is not just related to money or things — the real value is that those people cared enough to take the time to donate.”
“We don’t want to be in this position, but we are. Even if you fall down, you always have to get back up. When you get to a place like this at MSC, you feel so secure. Your stress is reduced and it makes you a better person.”
With their basic needs met, Carmela was able to pursue career options. She has applied for the National Guard and is going through a re-employment program with WorkSource. Chris has a disability which makes finding work difficult. When asked where they see themselves in three to five years, they both smile and talk about being safe, secure, and happy in their own home.
