Out of Survival Mode

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.”