I never expected that the most important part of our work could sometimes be as simple as a small piece of paper.
As a housing case manager, I help people experiencing homelessness every day to find permanent, safe housing. They often come to our Tiny House Village with a small carload of belongings or even just a backpack after being unhoused for years, sometimes decades. So many are living with a life-challenging illness or struggling with substance use and mental health issues. They haven’t had someone willing to sit down with them and just listen to what they truly need. But at Lifelong, we take the time to do just that.
The homeless populations we most often support are the people that make others nervous when they see them in tents or asking for help at a freeway entrance. They are written off as being too “hard” to serve and hopeless. The barriers they face can make getting and staying housed seem nearly impossible, but they’re our neighbors. They’re part of our community and deserving of our support.
Everyone that comes to us has obstacles. We are here to show them they are resilient and deserve their best health, their best life — just like everyone else.
Did you know that one of the biggest roadblocks to housing is something as basic as access to a birth certificate or personal identification so that they can get a bank account or rent an apartment?
Living on the streets can not only rob you of your health and wellbeing, but it can take away your sense of humanity. You forget who you are.
I’ve always taken for granted being able to walk into the licensing department and come away with my ID. For someone who hasn’t had the ability to do that, they jump for joy and sob in relief when they get to hold their birth certificate or social security card again. It gives them a piece of themselves back. It isn’t always easy, but it is sometimes the first hurdle to overcome, and opens doors to a home, a job, healthcare, and support systems they’ve been locked out of for so long.
Thank you for giving generously today and making sure that everyone has the chance to be their best self. One piece of paper at a time.