Returning Home

​Michele’s journey back to housing was long and, ultimately, serendipitous. She enjoyed growing up in the Santa Cruz Mountains, and began working locally as a pre-school teacher. Sadly, this career didn’t last long, as she was left permanently disabled at the age of 20 by a drunk driver. She fought hard to get disability benefits, which gave her a small amount of stable income. 

Despite this tragedy, she began building a meaningful life. She developed a passion for art, creating beadwork, stained glass and other décor. She picked up the occasional interior decorating job, and sold her work at local art fairs. All of this came to a sudden halt when an unexpected divorce left her unable to afford housing. She spent some time living with family and caring for her mother, who was terminally ill. In search of more stable options, she would attempt to rent a room, but found it to be a highly vulnerable experience, with roommates and landlords attempting to take advantage of her. 

Ultimately, she ended up living in her car. She made the best of a tough situation, eventually getting a bus to be more comfortable. This brought her to AFC’s Safe Spaces program, where she found comfort and security during the pandemic. As had happened multiple times before, life sent her another curveball.

She began experiencing strange medical symptoms, and, after numerous doctors’ visits, she was diagnosed with CIDP, an autoimmune disorder that progressively affects the nervous system. The diagnosis had life changing implications. She would have to get infusions every three weeks for the rest of her life, and her driver’s license was suspended for medical reasons.

Without a license she had to make the tough decision to leave AFC’s Safe Spaces program and park near Santa Cruz City Hall, where friends would move her bus daily to avoid ticketing. Her time parking on the streets was difficult, and scary at times. While she found nearby city employees to be friendly and caring, she experienced harassment at the hands of strangers. Passersby would frequently yell at her simply for exiting, shouting things like, “Go home!” Her lowest moment came on a rainy night when she awoke to shattered glass all over her bus. Someone had broken in her back window, leaving her scared and exposed to the elements. 

Michele’s time in her bus came to an abrupt ending when the City of Santa Crus passed its oversized vehicle ordinance. In all of her time sleeping in vehicles, she had never been ticketed. Once the ordinance was passed, she received 10 tickets in 10 days, making it impossible to stay. 

Out of options, this brought her to AFC’s Faith Community Shelter. Like many who experience homelessness, she found the prospect of a shelter scary, but what she discovered was very different. “What I excepted versus what I experienced was black and white,” she remembers. She found the other shelter members to be open and loving. They looked out for her and went out of their way to help her, especially on the hard days of her illness.

Her time in the shelter also reconnected her with housing navigation services. She quickly qualified for a program that would subsidize her rent, allowing her stable housing for the first time in years. She began the housing search process, which was initially discouraging. “80% of people don’t even call you back,” she recalls. Then, one day, she was surprised to see a listing on the street she lived on when she was younger. It checked all of her boxes: a small cottage, a yard for her dog, single story, lots of light for plants. Within a day, she was viewing the property, and within two days, the place was hers. Her journey to housing brought her back to where she started, and she couldn’t be happier. 

She has now been in her place for several months, and loves it. “It’s just amazing,” she shared. “It’s like paradise. As much as I hurt from this disease, I’m at peace. Everywhere I look is beauty. It has been months now, and I still have a hard time closing my eyes. It’s like I’m dreaming.”