A Single Dad Overcomes Homelessness

The formerly homeless father of a 12-year-old girl, Ivory found the security of a home and the support to build a career with help from two San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC) programs.

After living in a shelter for six months, Ivory and his daughter were among the first families to receive rental assistance through the Monarch School Project, an SDHC partnership with the Monarch School, which serves children of families experiencing homelessness.

The Monarch School Project is one of the initiatives of HOUSING FIRST – SAN DIEGO, SDHC’s homelessness action plan that launched on November 12, 2014.

With his rental housing voucher from SDHC, Ivory was able to move with his daughter into a duplex in San Diego’s North Park neighborhood.

“I’ve got a driveway. I’ve got a yard. Everything I wanted, it’s got,” Ivory said.

Parents in the Monarch School Project also are able to participate in SDHC Achievement Academy programs, which emphasize career planning, job skills and personal financial education.

Power of One is a yearlong program of the SDHC Achievement Academy for rental assistance recipients who are single parents of children up to the age of 16. Ivory graduated from the program on July 9, 2018.

“It wasn’t until I really got connected with this Power of One that (I found) people who would believe in me and wanted me to grow up the ladder,” Ivory said.

Power of One matched Ivory with a job as a custodian that enables him to be with his daughter before and after school.

He also completed training and has applied to be a security guard.

Ivory is inspired to help others going through similar circumstances—and to maybe one day try his hand at stand-up comedy.

“Monarch and Achievement Academy, I’m really grateful for them … each and every one added a little something to my life,” he said.