In the last 13 years, I’ve experienced homelessness twice. And while I’m grateful to have a roof over my head now, the fear of losing my home never really goes away.
Each time I’ve managed to find housing, it hasn’t been easy—it’s been a fight. A fight for something clean. A fight for something safe. A fight for something affordable. The cost of living is constantly rising while wages and opportunities lag, I’m constantly doing mental math to figure out if I can make it another month.
Rent goes up, groceries go up, utilities go up—but my income doesn’t always follow. I’ve worked hard in customer service, in sales, and even started my own small business. I’ve applied for jobs relentlessly. I’m not lazy. I’m not looking for a handout. I just want the chance to live without the fear that one unexpected bill or health issue will leave me on the street again.
What scares me even more is what’s happening across the country. The Supreme Court’s decision in Johnson vs. Grants Pass didn’t just make being homeless harder—it made surviving illegal. Cities have rushed to pass laws that criminalize people who are just trying to live through one more night. This hurts everyone, but especially those of us who are already most vulnerable: Black, Brown, immigrant, disabled, and LGBTQ+ people.
No one chooses to be homeless. But our system continues to choose to ignore the root causes: unaffordable housing, underpaid work, and the criminalization of poverty.
I’m sharing my story because housing is a human right. I know what it’s like to sleep in a car, to not know where I’ll go next, and to feel like the world would rather turn away than help.
We deserve better. I deserve better. And I’m standing with Housing NOW because our voices matter—especially the ones that have been silenced or pushed aside.
[Credits: Pixabay: hongquan7749]
