East Bay charity responds to homelessness
A homeless couple who found themselves moving around the Bay Area from shelter to shelter has obtained stable housing in the last year. They hope their story can show what's possible. Even as the number of unhoused residents grows and communities struggle with how to respond to the ongoing crisis.
"It looks nice, we liked living on the water. People think that being homeless is a simple thing, and it isn't so simple," said Sherry Michaela.
Before they became homeless Michaela and Hauso who are from the Bay Area lived on a boat in Richmond before they became homeless. They spoke to KPIX at the marina this week to reflect on their time here before losing that boat and having to find a new home.
"I enjoyed it here, I mean we're on the boat for a long time, It was hard because you keep moving," Hauso told KPIX.
Unable to find another option, they chose to live in an RV and move to a homeless encampment. But last year they lost that home in a sweep. They connected with staff at Catholic Charities East Bay to help them afford senior housing as both are in their seventies and need care for various medical conditions.
"You know, I'm sitting here and I'm cold, I'm wet. How about the folks that don't have the ability to go and seek someplace warm?" said Catholic Charities East Bay CEO Margaret Peterson while out at the marina to meet the couple. "This is a situation that is not going away and it's ever-growing."
That same week the couple spoke to KPIX. Michaela and Hauso wanted to highlight the personal growth that they've enjoyed. Some communities in the Bay Area were considering charging the homeless for turning down shelter. Elsewhere, health officials were calculating the current population with the latest "Point In Time" surveys already anticipating an increase in the number of unhoused residents. The issue has also ended up in court as some cities try to continue carrying out sweeps.
"We were always living on, teetering on the edge there, not knowing what to do, where we are going, what we should do," Michaela said.
While they did not see themselves as homeless when they were in their RV, they are grateful now to have an apartment and start a new chapter of their lives with permanent housing. But they want people passing by encampments, who may not enjoy the sight of it, to appreciate what can be considered a necessary place to live night after night.
"People just look at it as a motorhome, but it's a home inside," she said.