(Teresa´s actual name is not used, she would like to remain anonymous)
written by Vivian Liu
Faded graying hairs intertwined into a loose braid, her skin freckled and spotted from the sun- as she stood in the open space of Cornerstone Fellowship´s designated outreach room, she looked like every other middle-aged woman. Her crisp clothes and clean appearance showed few telling signs of the stereotypes that characterized her current situation of homelessness.
Teresa has a Master´s degree in education, specifically special education. However, with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, she lost the substitute teaching job she had just started. As she had only been working for two weeks before the school lockdown in the spring of 2020, she did not qualify for California´s unemployment insurance.
With schools closed, Teresa´s only source of income was working as a driver. However, working as a driver during the quarantine period wasn´t especially lucrative. Due to the lack of income, it only took six months for Teresa to max out her credit card. On top of that, Teresa also left her housing at the end of the lease period and began using her earnings from driving to live in Extended Stays America Hotels, which offers affordable pricing for long-term stays . Unfortunately, the hotel prices increased during the summer tourism season, compelling Teresa to consider alternate housing options. All these disastrous events, one after another, forced Teresa to face the reality that few people would ever imagine going through themselves- becoming homeless.
As of right now, Teresa continues to work as a driver and lives in her car in the parking lot of the Cornerstone Fellowship church. While Teresa is still looking for housing or a room to share, the search has been difficult because her once-perfect credit score has now plummeted due to pandemic-induced struggles. The time-consuming nature of driving for a living leaves Teresa with little time to find another job.
Teresa no longer has a home but still makes an effort to take care of herself. To have clean clothes to wear, she utilizes the laundry services at the Asbury Methodist Church. She occasionally visits Inklings, and has visited food services such as the Open Heart Kitchen once when her car broke down. For Teresa, “maintaining normalcy and dignity have been extremely important– eating well, and remaining positive; believing that [she] will restore [her] life have all contributed to it starting to happen.”
Despite the hardships Teresa has endured, she maintains an attitude of gratitude and positivity. On Fridays at the Cornerstone Fellowship, various non-profits—including CityServe, dental services, Newport Healthcare, etc.- gather to work together to help the homeless and low-income community. In reference to Alameda County, she says,“I am impressed with the current structure and program and all of the non-profit organizations working together to help the people in unfortunate situations, particularly at Cornerstone Fellowship on Fridays.” Not only do the outreach programs at the church create ¨a great feeling of fellowship, community, and spirituality¨, but “all of the service providers are helping to turn all of the negatives into a positive.”
Many homeless people are not simply drug addicts and individuals with low schooling. Even Teresa, with her impressive educational background, was launched into the depths of homelessness following some adverse circumstances. In the meantime, Teresa drives several hours a day and searches for some flexible and fast-paying jobs. But in the future, Teresa hopes to get her teaching license renewed.
Unfortunately, Teresa´s car is worsening in condition from all the hours spent driving. If Teresa´s story speaks to you, please consider supporting Teresa in getting some car repairs with the gofundme link below. In addition, Teresa is currently looking for a room to rent/share or a cottage. If you have any information on a potential housing opportunity, feel free to share it in the comments below.
gofundme: https://gofund.me/970004af
Other ways to support Teresa:
Check out her portfolio here