Brenda, a senior citizen, was constantly reminded by family members that she wouldn’t be able to live by herself. Twelve years ago, she chose her independence and decided to live on her own. Bold and vibrant in her vision for life, she wanted to show her family that she could take care of herself. But she didn’t have a plan.
At first, Brenda thought the next steps were clear: go to a shelter, get back to work, and get back on her feet. “I could do this. I could do this by myself,” she said. “But I didn’t know there was a homeless epidemic. There was no shelter that I could go to.”
She couch surfed for about a year before entering a shelter that had a spot for her. It was the first shelter she ever stayed at and unfortunately, it wouldn’t be her last. The experience sent her down another path – she started dabbling in drugs for the first time and ended up in the hospital at one point from an abusive ex. Years went by, and she struggled to make sense of what was happening to the life she knew.
“I’m not trying to make any excuses, but drugs were a way of maintaining my position then, staying awake and being alert on the streets,” explained Brenda. “Eventually, I was staying along the railroad tracks.”
One evening, Brenda heard a knock on her tent from a police officer. “He said, ‘You don’t look like you’re supposed to be here.’ It was the first time someone acknowledged I was somewhere I wasn’t supposed to be.”
Those words sparked Brenda’s spirit. She packed up, gave away her tent, and made her way to Palo Alto. For six months, a local church helped Brenda find temporary housing at a hotel. But after experiencing a breakdown, she returned to Santa Clara for support and medication at a mental ward.
“That was the new path to me being in a better place, mentally, spiritually,” said Brenda.
With help from Community Solutions, she rented a room and received help from a therapist who signed her up for an apartment at Agrihood during its early construction phase. After two years, Brenda received an email from the Housing Authority with an opportunity to have her own home. She submitted her materials and hoped for the best. Upon her first visit, Brenda felt awe, excitement, and happiness – this was going to be her home.
Today, Brenda is her own testimony, living the life she always dreamed of as part of the Agrihood community. She lives in a one-bedroom apartment and enjoys taking fitness classes with her personal trainer. She looks forward to interacting with neighbors through various cooking and arts classes or the arrival of the library mobile that brings books.
Clapping her hands together, Brenda shared, “Everything I have ever wanted in a place: a fitness room, the help I receive from these lovely people – thank you for all that! I am blessed and grateful. We have been given everything we need to succeed and go through life to be better people.”
Brenda encourages seniors seeking independence and affordable housing to recognize the impact that their efforts and choices can make over time.
“I have to give myself credit, even if my family members still don’t give me that credit,” she said. “If you want to get here, you have to do the work. At the end of the day, God gave me what I wanted.”