Alex’s story is a testament to the power of moving forward through countless setbacks. Growing up in Pismo Beach, he remembers his youth fondly. He stayed out of trouble, surfed in his free time and excelled in athletics, playing basketball, football and running track. After graduation, he moved to Seaside, where, by his own account, “all my troubles started.” 

When he arrived, he saw a different side of life. Soldiers stationed at Fort Ord for basic training showed him how to party. When the base closed in 1994, Alex remembers things getting markedly worse. The local economy took a hard hit, as did Alex’s path forward. He found himself getting in trouble more and more frequently, until he eventually landed in prison. For the next few years, he’d cycle through getting released, violating his parole and returning to incarceration. 

During his last period of parole, he married a woman from Santa Cruz and moved to the area. They did well together at first, but when he fell back into heavy substance and alcohol use, things fell apart, and she made the decision to leave. 

He moved out of the apartment they shared and into an RV. He didn’t anticipate how difficult it would be to find a safe place to park it, along with the two other vehicles he owned. At the time, there were no safe parking programs in the county. As he scrambled around the county trying to find somewhere to stay, he eventually watched as each vehicle got towed away. The most painful was a classic Lincoln that was a gift from his father. “That one hurt my heart,” he recalls. 

When his RV was towed, he only had one chance to get his things out. He took whatever clothes he could carry and left the rest behind. For the first time, he was homeless and unsheltered. He has the distinct memory of walking down a local frontage road, carrying his belongings and crying. 

He hit another low when he was again arrested, this time for being intoxicated and disruptive at a motel. The arrest ended up being a blessing in disguise. Instead of going back to prison, he entered a residential treatment facility to get sober. When he got out, he began attending daily AA meetings, and for the first time in years, maintained his sobriety. 

In AA, he also met a woman who would become his long-term partner. They moved in and spent 17 years together until they parted ways on good terms. He once again found himself living out of a vehicle, but this time, he had the tools and support to keep him on track. He maintained his sobriety throughout, leaning on his 12-step community. He also had the support of AFC’s Safe Spaces program. 

He made the most of his time in the program, meeting regularly with AFC and county case managers to find housing. He also regularly joined the Faith Community Shelter for dinner and connected with volunteers from Santa Cruz United Methodist Church, where he was parking. “I really respect them,” he reflects. 

After a few months, he found a room rental and made the move into housing. But, as often happens in Santa Cruz, what seemed to be a decent opportunity turned out to be a scam. The roommate he sublet from was pocketing Alex’s rent rather than paying the landlord. Frustrated and disappointed, he returned to Safe Spaces. 

Despite the setback, he kept moving forward. More cautious this time, he began looking for rental options with his case managers. His county case manager happened to find one that included a rental subsidy, meaning he could stay long term without being overly burdened by skyrocketing rental prices. “I was lucky. The timing was just right,” he remembers.  

He’s been in the unit for a year now, and the pieces of his life have come together. He still goes to daily AA meetings, and recently celebrated 20 years of sobriety. He’s a sponsor for others in the program. He regularly attends AFC’s Welcome Home group, a peer support group for formerly unhoused individuals. He’s even taking on some managerial responsibilities at his apartment complex. 

As he reflected on what led him to this moment, he takes none of it for granted. His journey had countless ups and downs, but, thanks to a tenacious sense of hope and a little support, he loves where he has landed. “Today I feel like I have a life beyond my wildest dreams. I’m content.” 

Nicole Donovan (pictured in the middle), AFC’s long-time bookkeeper, retired this month. As AFC’s longest tenured employee and a vital piece of our team, she took a few moments to reflect on our history and her time with us. We’re deeply grateful for the years of great work Nicole did behind the scenes and will miss her!

With Appreciation -
The AFC sprouted from the best intentions of the Interfaith Satellite Shelter Program (ISSP), which ran from the mid-80’s over a period of 15 years. This was a citizen’s grassroots effort to support the unhoused in Santa Cruz, co-founded by Paul Lee and Herb Schmidt, and facilitated by neighborhood churches. The idea made a lot of sense: local religious centers could extend a hand by loaning out their large fellowship hall facilities to those in need of overnight shelter, supplementing the County’s emergency shelter programs. The ISSP was not without problems, however.  Judy and Tim Hutchison, Jon Showalter, Joel Miller, and Scott Galloway, were determined, but cautious as they proposed a reboot to community leaders throughout 2012.
I was simply at the right place at the right time to be recruited as the organization’s bookkeeper. I only officially worked 10 hours per month, but unofficially, I was enmeshed in the constant chatter of what to do about homelessness. As board membership grew, these faith leaders were tested with divergent visions, and the challenge of building community trust. 
By 2017, the AFC incorporated into a charitable organization, and was now able to contract with the County, risking their independence, but also ensuring a steady income stream. It has been an effective partnership ever since. 
From the festive fundraising galas presented by Judy, Suzanne McLean, and Debbie Bates, and Executive Director, Sam Altis, to assembling a stellar staff, to gratifying stories of helping our participants rise, the AFC has become an essential component of our County’s social safety net.  I will treasure my time here, and take pride in the impact that the AFC has had on our community, the partnerships we have strengthened, and trust we have cultivated among friends. 
Stay Classy AFC!

Matt was born and raised in San Francisco, where he entered the foster care system at an early age. He was eventually adopted and dedicated his life to education, earning his master’s degree and becoming a high school English and Theology teacher at Catholic schools. 

His teaching career led him to Sacramento. While the move initially worked well for him, it eventually turned into a negative experience. He remembers feeling less comfortable as a gay man in the environment, noting that by the time the pandemic began, it felt untenable to continue living there. Around that same time, a toxic landlord left him without housing. 

He ended up sleeping on streets of Sacramento around Cesar Chavez Plaza. While incredibly difficult, he felt connected to the other people sleeping in the area. They looked out for one another, offering community and protection. 

As Matt considered his options for moving forward, he found himself in between work and retirement. In his late 60’s at the time, he was slowing down and less able to work full time. He was trying to wait until 70 to collect the maximum amount of social security, leaving him with few options. 

With Sacramento feeling unsustainable, he headed to a familiar place: Santa Cruz. He had spent plenty of time in the area over the years, and was well connected with local senior services, which he described as much more supportive than what he had found in Sacramento. 

He arrived in town on a particularly rainy night in early 2025. He planned on spending a cold and wet night on the streets, but was told the severe weather shelter run by People First was open. The next day, he went to Housing Matters to find out what his options were moving forward. Once there, they told him about AFC’s Faith Community Shelter, which seemed like a good fit. 

After an intake, he was able to get into the shelter quickly. He remembers immediately feeling comfortable in the environment, noting the transition was surprisingly easy. There were several other older individuals in the shelter at the time, and everyone was welcoming and helpful right away. He quickly became a reliable presence in the shelter, eventually taking over as night monitor. 

At the same time, he began working on his housing plan. His goal was to become a substitute teacher and find an affordable apartment once he began collecting social security. He started visiting complexes and trying to get on waitlists while also applying to local school districts. Unfortunately, his hard work was soon derailed.

He was sitting in a movie theater one day, and, as the movie ended, realized he couldn’t stand up. Theater staff helped him get outside, where he called a Lyft and went immediately to the hospital. It turned out he had infections in both legs that required urgent medical attention. The treatment left him in the hospital and later a rehab facility for weeks. 

Once discharged, he found himself having to use a walker and moving slower than before. He came back to shelter, where he remembers staff and shelter members going the extra mile to make sure he could navigate the shelter sites safely. 

While he might have physically been moving slower, Matt’s dedication to finding housing and work didn’t slow down. He secured a job as a substitute teacher, and toward the end of his time in the shelter, turned 70 and began collecting social security. Affordable housing was his only missing piece. 

The subsidized units he was hoping for weren’t going to be available any time soon, as they all had lengthy waitlists. Lexy, his Case Manager with AFC, had recently helped several other shelter members move into the Palomar Inn, and floated the idea to him. To afford the rent more comfortably, he’d need a roommate. Fortunately, another shelter member with whom he got along with was in a similar situation. The two talked it over, viewed a few rooms, and decided to make the jump. 

As is usually the case, getting into housing was a team effort. “Everything sort of fell into place.,” Matt recalls. With Lexy helping coordinate the effort, several organizations did their part to make the transition successful. Community Action Board offered assistance with the deposit and short-term rental assistance. The county offered a small amount to go toward home furnishings. Wings supplied a welcome home basket. 

Several months in, Matt and his roommate are doing well. Matt substitute teaches a few days a month. He still keeps up with friends from the shelter, occasionally dropping by for dinner. 

Looking back on his return to housing, he reflected, “In many ways it was very easy. In many ways it was not.” At the end of the day, while he relied on the support of community, he put the responsibility to move forward on himself. “You got to do something,” he shared.

While his time with AFC wasn’t perfect, he left with a sense of appreciation. “What impressed me most about AFC,” he recalled, “was the non-judgmental approach and understanding that everyone needs a break. No one’s perfect…There wasn’t an element of shame.”

Recently, Judy Hutchison stepped down from her role as AFC Board Chair. While she’ll continue to serve as a board member and regular volunteer, we wanted to take a moment to highlight the vital work she has done in the role. AFC staff member Nicole Donovan recently interviewed her and wrote the following piece.

Gardening ranks among Judy's many interests, which fits with her long history of creating beauty in this world. Did you know she was also once a concert violinist? Judy's work tending and nurturing AFC over the past 12 years has helped propel the organization forward, surpassing the expectations of anyone with a lesser vision. Judy has shepherded an assemblage of kind-hearted people into a fully-formed, professional organization, with expert staff, and trusted friendships throughout the County.  

When asked why she is pulling back from her role as board chair, Judy states with precision, "Because it's time for the next generation of the young-retired to take over." In fact, she says it's been her M.O. over the last two years to raise up new board members. Like a conscientious gardener who plans her beds well in advance, Judy had a long-range vision to recruit and train a new generation to guide AFC into the future. 

AFC is truly an interfaith endeavor, with each board member bringing their own religious expertise to the table. It is this spiritual commitment that provides the moral imperative and stamina to fight through obstacles and problem-solve as a team. AFC works closely with local government, and provides a key piece of the social safety net for Santa Cruz County. Although Judy's personal efforts have been invaluable, she is the first to insist that this has always been a team effort. Indeed, over the years, AFC has advanced to become an exemplar of the power of interfaith coalitions. 
​
As for Judy's future? In addition to her myriad home projects with husband Tim, Judy tells me she is putting more energy into coordinating hospitality events at her home church, Holy Cross. We have been the lucky beneficiaries of the good fellowship, entertainment, and food Judy brings together at every AFC annual gala. But amid her busy and varied "retirement" schedule, we can bet she has already planted the seeds of something magnificent that will quietly grow until the time is right to blossom and bless this world. 

Sandy’s journey back to housing was long and full of setbacks, but has ultimately been defined by resilience and hope. 

Sandy grew up in Union City, California as an only child. She cherishes her memories in Union City, reflecting on spending time with her father and riding their horses. Santa Cruz was a second home to Sandy, as she grew up spending time visiting Boulder Creek. 

As an adult, Sandy built a steady life in Kansas City, and worked hard in a variety of jobs . She held a position at a civil engineering firm as a building facilitator, worked as a medical receptionist, painted houses, and picked up repair jobs.  

After some time, Sandy moved back to Boulder Creek to raise her family in the place she had visited so often growing up.  She remembers the town at that time as small, quiet, and secluded, with her kids attending Boulder Creek Elementary.
 
When her father became suddenly ill, Sandy returned to Kansas City to support her parents. After his passing, the family home was sold and she had no place to return. She moved back to Santa Cruz, but her children were grown and living their own lives. With few options, she found herself without stable housing.

Sandy’s journey through homelessness took many forms. For a time, she lived in a tent deep in the woods off of Highway 17. The challenges were constant. Sandy recounts how unsafe she felt during this period of her life, knowing she was exposed to the elements and completely unsheltered. The simplest things most folks take for granted were the largest issues for Sandy. Even getting a shower and laundry was hard. “Taking a shower was the most important thing,” she remembers. “When it rained, everything would get wet. It was horrible.”

Despite the hardship, she adapted and made the best of her situation. Sleeping outside was new to her.  “We never even went camping as kids,” she reflects. “Homelessness was brand new to me. I learned to cook outside, go to the parks and make meals, and share them with my fellow homeless friends.” 

One day, while driving through the mountains, Sandy noticed people giving away food. That encounter introduced her to the Association of Faith Communities’ Safe Spaces program, where she met Father Joseph and found a new level of support. Safe parking, showers, clothing, and community gave her the stability to keep moving forward. After many years in the program, and years of hard work, persistence and patiently waiting , Sandy was matched with a housing voucher. 

Even then, the road to finding permanent housing was long and hard. Sandy recalls the experience was full of disappointment and rejection. Though often discouraging, she persevered with grace and patience. “I didn't want to stay in the same situation” she shared, motivated by the hope of stability and a better future. 
Sandy’s hard work and perseverance in the face of so many challenges paid off. In August of 2025, after 15 years of homelessness, she moved into her own home. 

The relief was overwhelming. “It feels like I can breathe again, like my freedom has been restored. God has blessed me.” Getting out of the constant survival mode she has been in for the past 15 years is like a breath of fresh air. “You don't have a future when you are homeless, it’s day to day survival” she reflects on how her days were filled with focusing on getting her basic necessities met. 

Today, Sandy is focused on rebuilding her life. “If you're not looking into the future, you are going to stay in the past,” she says. She looks forward to getting organized, walking her dog in the park, and enjoying her time without the constant search for food and shelter. “It’s my turn now,” she says with determination. 
​
She also hopes others can better understand the truth about homelessness. “We get blamed for so much, and it’s just not that way. Programs like Downtown Streets Team show us giving back. Take a look before you judge.” Sandy is grateful for the support she received along the way, and the chance to start fresh. She is grateful for Safe Spaces, sharing “this is a great program from advocacy and presenting us in a different light”.

Written by Xenia Garcia

AFC staff member Adam Henderson served as the keynote speaker at our 2025 Gala. He shared his story during an interview with Sam Altis, AFC's Executive Director. Watch the interview or read the transcript below. 

​Sam: You may know our guest speak from his time in the shelter, but now as a full-time AFC staff. So please welcome Adam Henderson. [cheers and applause from audience]
 
Adam: Nice to meet you.
 
Sam: You have some fans in the room.
 
Adam: This is my...this is my family. I really feel that way. [audience applause]
 
Sam: Alright Adam, let’s hear some of your background. Folks may have seen you around a lot but they may not know all of your story. Tell us a little bit about where you grew up and what life was like for you growing up.
 
Adam: I am originally from Newport Beach, Southern California. My father was a furniture refinisher and my mother was kind of a makeshift type person. I came from a split family, so we didn’t stay together very often. It was more like a traveling type situation with my mom and a stay-at-home situation with my father, when it was possible to get along with my father. So my upbringing was quite difficult but I was able to attend school and I made it through high school and some college. I was able to enjoy the benefits of having a scholarship for attending college.
 
Sam: As folks have probably heard from you, basketball was part of your journey. You want to tell us a little about that aspect of growing up?
 
Adam: Yeah, I played basketball most of my childhood life, through high school, and it actually got me my foot in the door for college. It didn’t last as long as I wanted it to but I was able to attend two years of college at Cal State Long Beach. From there, I was able to pick up a few agents that helped me go overseas. So I spent some time in Taiwan, and in Mexico, and in Alaska and Canada playing basketball. So I did get a chance to travel. So that part about me has always been the enjoyment of my life, the traveling.
 
Sam: You said at one point you were on like a Harlem Globetrotters like team? Is that right?
 
Adam: Exactly. That was how I got through Canada and Alaska, was with that travel team.
 
Sam: Nice. So you’ve said you’re comfortable with me asking this: How did you go from that to losing housing for the first time?
 
Adam: I would try to come home, back to my father, and we didn’t get along. So I mean, he was a construction worker. I would have worked there for a while but then after a while we’d get in a large argument so I would have to hit the streets. And from there, I would go various places but I would always end up being in a place called Santa Monica. And there I kind of found comfort in homelessness, which is a bad thing for some people because you really just don’t get your foot back into the door. So it was easier for me to stay around services, like HPHP [Homeless Person’s Health Project] would be a service that you have here, than it was for me to actually find housing again and you know, pay rent, have to get a steady job, that type of thing. It wasn’t really in my makeup to do it from scratch on my own. I was always trying to go back to, you know, work with my father or do some things like that and it would just never work.
 
Sam: And how old were you, at that time?
 
Adam: I think in my forties. [At] around forty-five my father passed, so that was the end of the attempt to, you know, maybe take over his business or that type of thing. Most of my life I’ve been in and out of homeless situations, as far as I know.
 
Sam: So fast forward a bit. What first brought you to AFC?
 
Adam: What first brought me to AFC is I had a friend in Santa Monica, his name was Michael. We used to call him Thurston Howell. But he was a really kind guy, a really good guy to be around, and he brought me up here. We were going to go to one of his — his family is Potawatomi Native American, if you know that tribe. His mom was the oldest tribal member actually. He had family in Washington and I forget, I think it was in Oklahoma where some of the people that I know are from, they had a casino. So he was going to take me on a trip up to see some people that he knew in Washington, then we were going to Oklahoma to the casino to try to find work. But he ended up passing in San Francisco. And I didn’t know what to do at first.
 
I was living in The Tenderloin, basically around places where there was food. For some reason I was at a bus station, or something like that, and somebody asked me if I wanted to come to Santa Cruz. I said, yeah sure. Santa Cruz was one of the places that he’d [Michael] mentioned that he’d like to come to. So I was like, yeah, I think I’ll go check it out. And at that point in time, the cold weather shelter was up at the armory, and I thought that was really cool, to be inside for the winter. So, I kind of stayed around the shelter atmosphere here. Sometimes I would go back-and-forth from here to Los Angeles to check out the vibe there, but there wasn’t really anything there for me as far as community environment, or downtown streets team, or anything that I could jump into and pick up, you know, a gift card or some supplies and things like that. So I would go to Los Angeles and I would come back here. And then somebody offered to put my name on a list for AFC. So I put my name on a list for AFC and about a year later, I got into the program here for the Association of Faith Communities.
 
Sam: Yeah, I remember that when I first started as shelter manager, like a month after that, someone was like, Adam is back. And everyone was really excited that Adam was back. I was like, who’s this Adam guy? And then you came and Al was like, he’s my backup monitor and was very excited for you to come back as his backup. And I’ve got to see you, kind of, since then. Can you tell us what AFC has been like for you?
 
Adam: To me, it’s really heaven sent. Because of the fact that, I don’t think if I was still in Los Angeles, I don’t think I would be indoors anywhere. So I think that was the reason I kept migrating back to Santa Cruz, and now this program, AFC.
 
Sam: If you don’t know, Adam served as our overnight monitor for a while, and then we also brought him on staff in increasing ways. Can you tell us what made you feel like you were ready to take the jump back into housing? Both like financially, but also emotionally, socially, all of those things.
 
Adam: I think it more of a push from Courtney [audience applause]. Because I wasn’t really planning on getting back into housing. But as soon as I got the push, I started talking to Xenia and she helped me, and then I took it from there. The place where I am staying now is a place that we saw and I went forward with it, so I’m there now.
 
Sam: Yeah, that was this past fall right? Fall 2024?
 
Adam: Yeah, think so.
 
Sam: Can I ask how it’s been?
 
Adam: I love it. I love it where I stay. It’s really cool. King size bed! [audience laughter]
[Al, a former AFC monitor, joins the pair on stage]
 
Sam: We have a guest here.
 
Al: Adam, when you first came into the shelter, I knew you were the type of person that could handle being the monitor. That’s why I picked you as my assistant. [audience applause and Al exits the stage]
 
Sam: I’ll tell you during this time, Adam started as our monitor, and then he oversaw our shower program, in a part-time capacity. Then we realized we needed more shelter staff and so we were like, well, Adam is good at that too, so we brought him in on that. Then when he started to look for housing, we were like, we actually — we need Adam like 40 hours a week, and so we brought Adam on full-time. It was a no-brainer. I got to say, we needed Adam, it wasn’t just that Adam needed work. We needed Adam specifically, for all of the things that he does. He is our fixer. He is the person when something goes sideways, Adam will go take care of it: our truck, our trailer, our shower trailer... And he does it all with this like sense of calm and gentleness that’s really, really impressive. It’s a really unique gift.
 
So, last question for you, sort of as we’re reflecting on your journey and you being housed and working full-time for us now: What are you hoping for as you look ahead?
 
Adam: Um, I’m not really sure. I’ve never really been sure about the next, the next steps of my life. I’m grateful. That I have been, throughout my life, whenever people have helped me, I’ve always been extremely grateful. I’m grateful more so to this place because it seems like something that I can continue to do. And for me, that’s a big step up.

Sam: We hope you continue to do it, because we need you. Well, let me just finish by saying, Adam you are a gift to our team. Your perseverance, watching you over the last four years, just continue to push forward and continue to make steps forward, and then to become a bigger and bigger part of our team has been such an encouragement. And if I can say it, I’m really proud of you.
 
Adam: Thank you.
 
Sam: And I’m grateful that you’re a part of our team. Thank you, Adam.
[Cheers and applause from audience]

Courtney is a problem solver. After a successful 20-year management career in a residential substance abuse setting, she had the insight and courage to scale down her work life to find balance with her family life. But her career did not suffer. She started working at the AFC part-time in 2023, and now focuses her talents on helping clients find stability.

Courtney works collaboratively with clients to clarify housing goals, asking: Where would you most like to live? And how would you maintain that situation long-term? Then she surveys the big picture, noting the skills and knowledge the client already brings to the table, the personal challenges they face, and assessing how community resources could support a plan based on actionable steps.

Known as a mama bear, Courtney excels at helping others navigate through tricky situations. She works with her case managers to solve challenging client circumstances, offering new perspectives and novel ideas. Recently during a staff meeting, she noticed a client being pulled over by the police right outside our window. Courtney leaped up, and dashed across the street to lend support, making sure the situation would not escalate.

Michael Jordan is famous for stating, "Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen." Courtney is an all-star player at the AFC, making it happen with her invincible spirit to motivate and lift people to the next level. 

While we’re sad to see her go, we’re so grateful for Courtney’s time at AFC, and wishing her well in the next stage of life!
Written by Nicole Donovan

Xenia is a homegrown Santa Cruzan who truly values making a tangible difference working within her community. 

She’s a UC Santa Barbara alumnus with a degree in Sociology and an emphasis on law. Later, while working with incarcerated youth, she became aware of the cyclical connection between injustice, discrimination, and homelessness.

She understands the frustrations of clients dealing low wages, high living costs, aging, and limited housing.  Xenia finds it inspiring however, that the AFC can truly work as a community partner, not only providing needed services, but fostering supportive relationships between individuals.  She appreciates this very humanizing approach. 

Xenia’s not afraid to go above and beyond to help her clients, including taking a day trip to San Francisco. Being frustrated with the bureaucracy of obtaining a birth certificate needed to receive a housing voucher, she and her 80-year old client hopped aboard public transportation, and headed straight to City Hall. This out-of-the-box support meant a great deal to her client, in addition to offering a fun adventure for the pair.

Xenia says that she feels lucky to learn so much from her clients, and appreciates hearing about their life stories and the wisdom they bring. She says her role as case manager is less about “giving back” to her community, and more about being a helpful advocate for change. Xenia says that professionally, she is exactly where she is supposed to be right now. And for the AFC, it is truly our privilege to have her. 
​
Written by Nicole Donovan

Jeanne’s journey to housing was, by her own telling, full of little miracles. One sunny day last spring, she and three other shelter members decided to take day a trip to the Land of Medicine Buddha to spin the prayer wheels and offer prayers for housing for themselves and others in the shelter. Six months later, their prayers were answered. All four of them secured housing. 

Jeanne knows the answer to those prayers came in part through her own perseverance as well as the kindness and generosity of others. After being housed, hardworking, and relatively comfortable for most of her life, a series of unexpected, and, in her words, catastrophic life changes left her with nothing, including housing. “It’s like I suddenly fell [through the floor and] into a dank, dark basement. I was looking around, saying ‘How did I get here?’ Then you make a decision. You either live or you die.”

That determination to survive brought her from the frigid midwestern city she was living in, back to the more temperate climate of California, where she’d previously lived. Her journey eventually led her to AFC’s Faith Community Shelter, where she began to encounter what she’d describe as the first in a series of small miracles – the warmth of community and the chance to interact with individuals from diverse backgrounds. 

“Gifts came in many ways and on many levels,” she recalls. Sometimes those gifts were physical gifts, like a gift card around the holidays. Other times they were a word of comfort, a prayer or listening ear. The most impactful thing, she shared, was that each of those gifts “let us know that others had us in their minds.” “For some,” she went on, “I think I reminded them of their older relatives, and compassion was their response.” 

Those interactions also sustained her spiritually. As a self-described “spiritual seeker”, she considered it a grace to interact with volunteers from diverse spiritual traditions. She could see her thinking evolving as those interactions fostered tolerance and empathy. Anyone who had the privilege of sharing a spiritual conversation got a taste of her own insights, shaped by reflection and experience, and often shared in a quote from a sacred text or spiritual teacher. 

Jeanne sees another miracle in how she found housing. After a lengthy wait, she was referred to H-DAP, a program that would subsidize her rent and help her attain a Section 8 voucher to secure permanent housing. Xenia, her AFC Case Manager, lined up a showing for her in a neighborhood she knew she liked and felt comfortable in. The week before the showing, she decided to take a walk through the neighborhood to confirm her sense of safety and to keep an eye out for other rentals. The day of the showing came, and, while she had high hopes, the unit had an entry way that would be unsafe for her to navigate, eliminating it as a viable option, and leaving them both disappointed. 

As she and Xenia left the property, they saw a “For Rent” sign in the distance, and said “Let’s go!” After calling the number, the listing agent came within 30 minutes to let them view the unit. Jeanne knew it would work well for her, and immediately put in an application. She was skeptical she’d be approved, as she knew the Santa Cruz rental market was competitive. To her surprise, she was offered the apartment within 48 hours! From there, H-DAP staff lined up the funding to make sure she could move in to her new home. 

With housing secured, she counts the move in support she received, particularly from volunteers within AFC’s faith community, as another small miracle. Many of those volunteers had been cheering her on for some time, and once housed, were eager to help her feel settled. A volunteer and her son from Peace United gave her a table, even carrying it up the steps and into her unit. A volunteer from Resurrection Catholic Church donated her own rocking chair. Volunteers from Trinity Presbyterian gave her dining chairs and a house plant, which, as Jeanne notes, is currently thriving. 

Beyond those who donated, she also counts the emotional support she received along the way as a miracle. She felt a special bond with the cooks from UMC Santa Cruz, who had been encouraging her for years. After she was housed, she remembers running into Pastor Jeremiah Fair from Community Covenant Church. He was delighted to hear she was housed, and shared that his congregation had been praying for her for months. With her permission, he shared the good news with the church so they could celebrate.

This series of miracles has left Jeanne with a deep sense of gratitude. She reflected that she could have become bitter after losing so much, but her experience and reflection made her see things differently. “A life’s journey is not all about the outside of things – the security and financial success,” she shared. “Ultimately, it’s about how you think. I think through associating with so many different kinds of people, you become a much more compassionate and wiser person. Life is about what kind of human being you choose to be.”

*To protect her privacy, Jeanne’ real name likeness was not used for this story.

Growing up in South Lake Tahoe, Milissa felt incredibly fortunate to be raised in an area where she could experience so much natural beauty and a multitude of outdoor activities.

Milissa has a diverse professional background. She worked in the service industry, owned her own landscaping business, was a photographer for casinos in Tahoe, and, with a competitive ski background, she even coached for the U.S Ski team.  

Milissa’s move to Santa Cruz started about 12 years ago when she needed a fresh start from her hometown. At the time she did not know anything about Santa Cruz but was drawn to its beauty as she began to reassess her life.

She found work right away in the Santa Cruz mountains and started therapy, wanting to make sure to focus on mental health in her new chapter. She quickly found more work, becoming the caretaker of an Airbnb on the property she was renting on the Westside of Santa Cruz. The work allowed her to be outside and take care of the property’s animals for nearly a decade, an experience she loved. 

Her move to Santa Cruz turned out wonderfully, until she suddenly faced homelessness for the first time in her life. In the winter of 2022, her landlord and employer passed away, and their children decided to sell the property. “I went from normallness to everything feeling like I was in quicksand all of the sudden. It is hard to express how when you reach rock bottom it is so difficult to get out of rock bottom. Even your friends you thought you can rely on just disappear, and you are left completely alone, disheartened and confused, not knowing any avenues. And it took awhile for me to learn that there was actual help available.”.  


Shortly after becoming homeless and living in her truck with her two dogs, Milissa came to AFC. She had met a former participant of Safe Spaces who had found the program and staff helpful. After enrolling in the program, things started to look up for her.  “I was introduced to my case manager, Victoria and slowly discovered that there was support available to me and the ball started rolling.”

Milissa shared that her overall experience with AFC and its programs were great. “The support and help was there more than I knew ever existed. I was no longer alone. It is the best program. You are put in safe hands and you are guided through whatever is needed and who to ask for help. All the way down to gas and car repairs. It helped me to make small steps in my life, and I was finally able to take action and get things done. Before I was just surviving and was at my lowest point, wondering how much lower I was going to end up going. Not to mention seeing other people on the street and you are left wondering, is it going to get any worse?. The safe parking was a Godsend, to have a safe location and not having to worry about who is walking around your car, being able to sleep safely, and having access to a clean bathroom.”


The road to finding permanent housing was hard work for Milissa. After being referred to a housing program which provided her with a Section 8 voucher, she was finally able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. This consisted of a long process of searching through housing listings and relying on the support of her case manager and housing navigator. “It’s not easy at all because there is not a lot out there”. Her patience and hard work paid off. In September 2024, almost two years after losing housing, she moved into her new home.

Milissa now looks forward to settling in and being able to reap the rewards of her long awaited efforts. She shared she still has a hard time believing this is real. She is still processing her experience of homelessness and everything that came with it. As she settles into her rental, she feels hope. She looks forward to having a much needed hip surgery so she can function at full mobility and start working again. “I feel positive that I am finally safe and can get out of survival mode.”