A family in Los Angeles who lived on the streets for several years managed to obtain housing through a program that helps single mothers or elderly people in financial difficulty.
Christina González managed to secure housing for her and her two daughters through the organization “Union Rescue Mission, where she was admitted to the family unit, along with her two daughters, in August last year.
There he began a process of rehabilitation.
Hundreds of homeless or economically challenged people can visit an open center in Riverside County in an effort to support those most in need.
“They want us to work or go to school,” González said. “Let us try to surpass ourselves so as not to fall back into the street.
a difficult life
Christina González’s life has not been easy. She says her grandmother’s husband sexually abused her when she was a child. This trauma led her to fall into drug addiction as a teenager.
“I went to jail and (the police) arrested me for drugs, possession for sale,” González says. “I was living on the street.”
Homeless, she lost custody of her four eldest children. As of 2018, she was forced to sleep in her vehicle with her four-year-old daughter and a newborn baby.
A place to live
González found housing, with the help of the Union Rescue Mission, five months after entering the program. Their daughters are no longer hungry and have a place with lots of privacy.
“It’s happiness for my daughters,” González says. “All the total rent is $2,022. I pay half.”
The Harvest Home program tries to alleviate a great need for housing for this part of the population.
The mother already has a hopeful life with her family. Her eight-year-old daughter, Violeta, aspires to become a singer.
Now she advises other homeless people to seek help.
“Let them go find shelter. Please be patient,” he said.
aid programs
Andy Bales, president of Union Mission Rescue, says three of the programs they offer can benefit families like Christina Gonzalez’s.
One such program provides transitional housing for single mothers and seniors.
The other two help them find a job and offer them assistance in case of extreme emergency.
The Union Rescue Mission’s Gardens of Hope project serves as a refuge for women who face these challenges in life.
“We can immediately put them in a hotel room if our centers are full,” says Bales.
The Union Rescue Mission has helped more than 200 families and 400 children find temporary or permanent housing so far this year.
The programs are not funded by the government and only require applicants to commit to recovery and to maintaining addiction-free status.
Interested families can call 626-260-4761.