California program seeks to stop homelessness before it begins
Keep Oakland Housed—a joint effort of the city and social service, legal, and faith-based organizations—helps tenants facing eviction.
(The Christian Science Monitor) The tears began falling before Debra Ross finished reading the eviction notice. She had arrived home on a June afternoon to find the piece of paper taped to the door of her apartment in Oakland, California, where she lives with one of her 20 grandchildren.
Ross owed $785 in back rent on her subsidized unit. She and her teenage grandson survive on the $770 she receives from the state as his legal guardian. The notice placed them in jeopardy of homelessness. She pleaded for time from the property manager, who agreed to let her defer payment until the fall. But Ross was still short on money as the October 31 deadline neared.
“To see that eviction notice on my door, it was devastating,” Ross says. “I was so frightened. I didn’t know what to do.”
