A Sense of Normalcy and Security
A three-bedroom apartment where her younger daughters, ages 6 and 4, can play and jump on their beds and her teenage daughter has space of her own is a welcome change from homelessness for Lola and her family.
“We’re able to have a sense of normalcy, a sense of security we didn’t have before,” Lola said.
The San Diego Housing Commission’s (SDHC) Moving Home Rapid Rehousing program helped Lola with security deposit and move-in costs for her family to settle into their new rental home at an SDHC-owned affordable rental property in the Mountain View neighborhood.
SDHC Moving Home Rapid Rehousing is one of the programs of HOUSING FIRST – SAN DIEGO, SDHC’s homelessness action plan.
Rapid rehousing helps individuals and families experiencing homelessness to quickly obtain and maintain permanent housing through a tailored package of assistance that can include short- or moderate-term rental assistance and case management.
Lola and her daughters previously slept in her minivan in a safe parking lot for families experiencing homelessness.
Their experience with homelessness – or “being houseless,” as Lola refers to it – began after their previous rental home was sold, and they couldn’t afford the increased rent. They moved into a motel as a short-term solution, but were not able to financially meet the credit score and deposit requirements for a new apartment.
“We just financially couldn’t swing it,” Lola said. “It wasn’t like we were horribly displaced, or at some horrible place in our lives. We just didn’t have what it took to find a place.”
After a month at an emergency shelter, Lola’s family stayed nights at the safe parking lot, where a housing navigator connected Lola with SDHC. At the same time, someone else at the safe lot told her to apply for the SDHC-owned apartment.
“A big thank you to the Housing Commission,” Lola said. “They have afforded us a place to live and a chance to get on our feet. That they recognized that and honored that by giving us an opportunity is a big thing, so thank you.”
