Client Success Stories
 Juan
Juan had never lived on his own. No longer able to rely on the help of others, Juan endured two years of homelessness while he worked towards his recovery from substance abuse. He heard about HomeStart from peers at his transitional program and began his search for a home for himself and his son, Jordin.
“You just don’t know what kind of obstacles there are to finding housing. I was desperate and struggling. But when my HomeStart advocate helped me secure an apartment of my own, I was so happy.”
“The best thing about my home is that I have a roof over my head – a place that I can call home. I’ve been through some changes. I never paid rent before because I never had my own place. Now I pay rent and bills. It’s been a new experience for me, learning how to budget my money – now I know what every person goes through. At first it was scary, but today I’m a responsible person.”
“With the help of HomeStart, I was able to get my license. Then I got a job. Then I got my home. I even bought a car. I’m very grateful and it feels good to see the gifts that I have today.”
“I want to enter a first home-buyer program and one day own my own condominium. All my coworkers are all homeowners and if they can do it, I know I can do it.”
Katie
 Katie grew up doing well in school, playing sports and was involved in her town. After one year of college, Katie’s situation changed. Bad choices and lack of family support led to unpaid rent bills and, eventually, to eviction. Katie spent the next two years homeless. “It would be freezing cold and I’d be sleeping in my car not knowing where I was going to eat. I remember getting a blanket from a thrift store and wrapping up in it as much as possible to try to stay warm.”
When Katie became pregnant she knew she needed a safer place to stay. She entered a transitional program in Boston and gave birth to her daughter. Katie also began working with HomeStart. With help from her housing advocate, she completed housing applications and received advice to manage her bills. Katie and her daughter moved to an apartment in South Boston.
“Without HomeStart, I’d still be in a shelter trying to raise my daughter. I was so happy that I found housing but I was so worried that I wouldn’t be able to afford the rent, the utilities and day care! HomeStart guided me in finding the resources to afford all of these things that my daughter deserves to have. And now today, because of my housing, I’m a woman of pride and dignity. I graduated from Bunker Hill Community College with a Medical Assistant Certificate. I now have a job at one of the City’s largest medical centers. Eventually, I want to go to nursing school. I’m doing this for myself but mostly for my daughter. I want her to have a fulfilling life.”
 Michael
A painter and a former student of the Museum School of Fine Arts, Michael lived and worked in Boston until he was 44 years old. And then, according to him, "I started drinking. I wound up homeless - pretty much living on the street off and on for eight years of my life. For 17 years I had worked in a gallery on Newbury Street and then for a number of years after that I found myself sleeping in the alley behind Newbury Street."
On one of those cold nights spent sleeping in the streets, Michael lost most of his foot to frost bite. As he recovered from his injury, he began the recovery process for his addiction as well. Michael started working with a HomeStart Housing First advocate and quickly moved to his own home.
When Michael realized that he was going to get his own apartment, he says he felt "incredible relief. I just wasn't sure how I was going to get a place otherwise. Housing First turned out to be absolutely tailor made. I'm sure it accommodates a lot of people's situations. It seems pretty flexible to me. If I had to have searched for housing on my own, I would have found something, but it would have taken a lot longer without HomeStart."
Since moving into his home over two and a half years ago, Michael's been able to "catch up with the 21st century," as he likes to say. Two years ago, Michael admits he couldn't even send an email. Now he balances his time between graphic design and tending to his verdant indoor gardens and lush, tree frog-inhabited terrariums.
Shetina
 HomeStart assisted Shetina & Wonku with the repayment to the local housing authority after owing money due to a reported change of income in the household. “We didn’t know how we were going to come up with that money living on a fixed income from SSI & SSDI.” Having an 18month old little girl to care for, Shetina was getting very “worried and stressed out” that her family would soon be homeless. “I didn’t think there was anyone out there who could help our situation. I was so glad that HomeStart could help.”
 Andre
After struggling with a drug addiction and the loss of his family, Andre sought treatment and entered a transitional housing program. It was there where he heard about HomeStart. Andre had been searching for housing for nine months before he found a place.
When asked about working with his advocate, Andre is all smiles, saying, “I have the utmost respect for him. He is very patient and understanding and very concerned about his clients. He takes time out to explain what’s going down and what HomeStart is doing. He treats you like people. He has a lot of good heart. He helped me send out different housing applications, made important phone calls for me and worked with me and the housing authorities."
"Because I’m not too familiar with Boston, I would have had a serious problem without HomeStart in my housing search. I wouldn’t know where to begin.” Andre also has a bilateral hearing impairment. Speaking about his disability, Andre remarks, “I read lips, but it’s difficult for me to understand everything all the time. My advocate has a special gift. He explains everything and makes it easy to understand. HomeStart not only deals with people, they also deal with people who have disabilities. If people with disabilities in Boston come to HomeStart, they get all the help they need.” “Sometimes, when you’re bilaterally hearing impaired, you meet people who don’t understand and they hurt your feelings and it makes you want to shut down. And then you meet someone like Will [Andre’s housing advocate] who makes it easy to understand things and it opens your heart.”
Fatima
 Fatima, a Spanish-speaking single mom, has always worked hard to support her two daughters and her baby grandson. “I got laid off from one of my two jobs and wasn’t making enough money to pay my rent. HomeStart helped me pay my rent and negotiated with my landlord to lower my rent due to my loss of income.”
I was getting behind in rent because I wasn’t making enough money to pay the rent each month. I had two housekeeping jobs but I got laid-off from one of them.
I take care of my 2 daughters, 20 & 22, and my 3-month old grandson. I heard about HomeStart from a neighbor and then I called to ask for help. I was behind in rent for 3 months and was afraid that I would get an eviction notice from my landlord. HomeStart helped me pay the rent that I owed and helped me work with my landlord to lower my rent due to my loss of income. I’ve always been on time paying my rent. I did not want to have to go through an eviction with a new baby to take care of. My Advocate also helped me find other services, such as Cradles for Crayons.
Coleen
Coleen, a proud Irish-American who grew up in Boston, had a difficult time dealing with the deaths of her parents. “I started drinking, lost my home and had no choice but to go to a shelter. As part of my program, I met with a HomeStart Advocate once a week. She helped me apply for housing assistance. With only a 4th grade education, I had trouble reading the applications. When I got my keys to my new apartment, I felt very relaxed and happy. I’ve always wanted to go back to school, so I’m currently studying to get my diploma. I’ll probably be 60 years old by the time I get it, but I want to see how far I can go and how smart I am.”
John
 “I grew up in a typical, Irish-American household in Charlestown, raised by both of my parents. I went to the Boston Latin School. I thought nothing could get in the way of my bright future when I found out I was accepted to Tufts University as an engineering major.
My freshman year at Tufts was one of the toughest years of my life. My father passed away and I started finding it harder and harder to concentrate. In my sophomore year, I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. It brought my academic career to a standstill.
I put college on hold and looked for a job while trying to get better by going to therapy and taking my medications. I got hired by a food delivery service. It was a great job because I worked alone. When I’m manic I tend to be hyper and a nuisance to other people. I worked there for 18 years but then I started having really bad manic episodes that impacted my work. I was laid off.
Slowly I started losing things. I think of the theme song from Gilligan’s Island: ‘No phone, no boat, no motor car, not a single. luxury.’ That was me right before I became homeless; first, my phone got turned off, then, I had to sell my car, and finally I lost my apartment and found myself homeless.
I spent 2 years going from shelter to shelter. One of the shelters referred me to HomeStart. I instantly recognized that the people at this organization were in my corner. HomeStart helped me find an apartment and gave me a housing voucher to assist me with part of my monthly rental payments. My new place is very quiet. There is a supermarket, a bakery and a pizza place all within 5 minutes. It’s like utopia!
HomeStart has continued to provide follow-up services to ensure that I maintain my housing. ‘If you need anything or have a problem, give me a call.’ I’ve heard this a hundred times from HomeStart. You’re here for me.”
Dorothy
Dorothy worked full time most of her life to support her seven children on her own. However, after 11 years working for the same company, she was laid off. Some of her lost income was supplemented by some of her children who were working and still living with her. As her children got older and left home, Dorothy’s financial support dwindled while her rent kept increasing. Also, to help one of her daughters going through a difficult time, Dorothy took in her grandchildren. “My rent kept going up and up and I never could catch up with it. I just couldn’t make ends meet. Finally, my landlord evicted me. I became homeless. I tried to stay with friends for a while, but then ended up in a shelter. It was very difficult for me because I always worked and had a home, so to become homeless was like going through a nightmare.”
The shelter that Dorothy was staying in referred her to HomeStart. “HomeStart helped me fill out housing applications to get a housing subsidy that would allow me to choose where I want to live. I wanted to live in an area that I would feel safe. I was so happy when I got accepted to live here. It feels good to come in to my home everyday – it’s warm and comfortable. Now I have a safe home for my children and my grandchildren to visit me. I even leave my door open! I appreciate all the help I received from HomeStart. It was a blessing that HomeStart was by my side through all of this.”
Sonia
Sonia is a woman with a new lease on life. “Years ago, I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. The symptoms were so debilitating that I could not work and had to give up my apartment to go to a nursing home. After three years, I was ready to leave the nursing home. But since I could not afford to get an apartment on my own, there was no way for me to leave except into nothingness. I went to stay at a shelter.
To get a bed at my shelter, you had to be there at 3pm. If you show up later, you are taking your chances on not getting a bed. I was always tired. The vinyl, lumpy beds are 29 inches wide and the bunks have metal railings on the sides. Every time I would turn over, I would bash my legs on the metal rods creating bruises on my legs. One of the worst things about being homeless is not having a place that you can feel you have a right to be. I remember thinking that the city didn’t belong to me. I would feel conscious of not feeling welcome. I would worry if I was spending too much time in one place. As soon as I was housed, the whole city belonged to me again. When I was homeless, I was always thinking, ‘How am I going to make my day go away?’ Now I think, ‘How am I going to get everything done today?’
A friend told me about HomeStart. I was lucky to get a HomeStart housing voucher! I moved in to my apartment on July 1, 2007. It took a little time to adjust to it. I am glad I had my HomeStart Stabilization Advocate there to help me through this adjustment period. Building a life is so much more than having an apartment. I had to start my life from scratch. My advocate has been very supportive and encouraging, connecting me with different resources that would be right for me. I am now volunteering at WGBH pledge drives, making friends in my neighborhood and I even have special person in my life. |