Deborah wanted a better life for herself and her daughters. As a single mom, she raised her daughters and went to college later in life. After college, she moved in with family. Screaming, yelling, and fighting were common in the house, and there was even more tension during the pandemic lockdown.
The negative influence gradually drove her family apart. After a few years, Deborah made a difficult decision – she chose to leave, even if that meant being homeless. For two years, she slept in her car.
“I had a car – I was blessed,” said Deborah. “I had my stuff in storage. But it was hard. I would go and get groceries, but I couldn’t cook or store fresh fruit or vegetables, so I would give them to everyone else.”
Living on the streets and in her car, Deborah would put up blankets on her windows every night so that no one could see inside. One night, she was rolling up a window when a police officer passed by. “He said, ‘I’ve seen you here before. You don’t belong here. What’s your story?’ And I told him. And he says, ‘Seems like you have your head on straight. You’re working towards something. I’ll keep an eye out for you.’ And people kept an eye on me. People brought me food. They looked out for me.”
Deborah went to the South County Compassion Center in Gilroy and filled out an application for affordable housing. After a long wait, she received notice of a one-bedroom apartment available for her at the Agrihood residence in Santa Clara. For the first time in a long time, Deborah felt peace of mind. She would finally have a place of her own.
“The first thing I did when I got here was go down on my knees and ‘Thank God!’” recalled Deborah. Upon her arrival, Agrihood staff met her needs promptly, providing furniture, dishes, and blankets. “I was so bubbly that I didn’t know what to do with myself. This place is the best place you would want to be at. Thank you all for giving me the chance and a place.”
Deborah delights in her cozy one-bedroom apartment by the garden. She enjoys a stunning view of the bustling streets near Santana Row, along with the community activities like art and cooking classes, bingo, and food deliveries through Second Harvest Food Bank that have made groceries more accessible to their senior community.
She especially loves how easy it is to connect with the onsite staff. “The case managers that we work with are awesome. We can go in there and talk to them about funny stuff, sad stuff, anything, and they listen. When we need something, they are there. They go out of their way for us sometimes.”
Reflecting on her journey to Agrihood, Deborah looks back on her experience of being unhoused. “The homeless are not bad people,” she says. “They are people who need help. The hardest part of it all for me was leaving the home and my family But today, we are getting better.”