Carla is a 23-year-old woman currently experiencing homelessness. She was first diagnosed with leukemia when she was 6, the result of a rare genetic mutation passed down to her from her mother\u2019s side of the family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Around the same time she was diagnosed, her father went to prison and her mother became unable to take care of her. Carla went to live with her aunt, who helped her get into treatment at Seattle Children\u2019s Hospital. She entered remission when she was 9, but her problems didn\u2019t stop there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe first time I became homeless was because my aunt had an abusive boyfriend living with us,\u201d said Carla. \u201cI eventually said, \u2018well, if you\u2019re not going to do something about this, then I will.\u2019 So, I left home at 16 and went to live in a group home\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Carla entered the foster care system, which she described as \u201cFrankenstein-ing the last two years of my high school career, jumping from one person willing to house me to the next.\u201d Once she graduated high school, she found herself on her own<\/a> and began staying at homeless youth shelters<\/a> in the Seattle area. She managed to complete some college courses but found it ultimately unsustainable and left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI completed, like, half a degree and made it out with $4,000 in debt. I left because I didn\u2019t have any foundation under me,\u201d Carla said. \u201cThe dorms can only do so much to cushion that blow. Having a mentor would have helped.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Carla is currently trying to secure housing with her partners but cites lack of affordable housing as a significant barrier. While she used to be able to find work with temp agencies, her increased fatigue has made this more difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAs soon as I was diagnosed people started congratulating me because they thought I\u2019d be able to get government benefits and find housing,\u201d she said. \u201cEveryone thinks having an illness or disability is a guaranteed one-way ticket out of homelessness. It\u2019s not. I\u2019m basically just going through the same thing every other person with cancer goes through, except I\u2019m doing it homeless.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She emphasized the importance of holistic solutions to homelessness, and the idea that keeping people off the streets is not as simple as providing them with housing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEveryone wants to solve housing first in a person\u2019s life, because that\u2019s the biggest problem, right? The thinking is, \u2018if we can just give them a house, everything will be okay.\u2019 But as a matter of fact, there\u2019s a hierarchy of needs that you have to meet before reaching the housing goal,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou have to help improve peoples\u2019 quality of life. Imagining a dream scenario where a house just magically drops out of the sky is not helping crises someone is having right now. It\u2019s not getting me the medical help I need, it\u2019s not providing therapy or rehab for people who need it, it\u2019s just saying, \u2018we\u2019ll drop you in a house and then that\u2019s your problem fixed and you can make it on your own from now on, right?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Carla\u2019s ideal world, homeless shelters would function like miniature emergency rooms, complete with basic medical care, crisis counseling and staff that refers people to resources that can help them secure and maintain housing. <\/strong>In her experience, case managers at shelters are underfunded and overwhelmed<\/a>, leading to inconsistent advising and a focus on temporary fixes rather than long-term solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere\u2019s one case manager for 50 people at the shelter I\u2019m staying at now,\u201d she said. \u201cThey\u2019re told to solve the housing crisis, when really they should be piecing together each person\u2019s wellbeing. People want a house right now and can\u2019t see a world where they\u2019re safe and stable in a homeless shelter. You fix that by improving the shelter so that people are willing and able to stick around long enough to solve their problems.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to a lack of resources, Carla observed that shelters are often unsafe and unable to make accommodations for people with special needs, making some people experiencing homelessness less likely to seek help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ve found it hard to convince people that they should give me accommodations for my life-threatening illness. There\u2019s very little they\u2019re willing to adjust for me,\u201d she said. \u201cThere was even a young pregnant woman that came into the shelter and had to enter a lottery to get a bed, but she was really scared of staying outside because of her health. The shelter was like, \u2018well, we can\u2019t just make special accommodations and play favorites.\u2019 I get not playing favorites, but it\u2019s a pregnant woman!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Problems in the shelter are often so severe, Carla says she sleeps better in her partner\u2019s car than in a shelter bed. Usually she manages to avoid sleeping on the street but acknowledges this is not an option for many people without access to resources like a car. \u201cIt\u2019s like a little pod and nobody can touch me,\u201d<\/a> she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite her circumstances, Carla finds pleasure in hobbies like sewing, and has managed to find a chosen family that she can share her life with. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot of happy accidents,\u201d she said. \u201cYou collect people, it\u2019s what you do. Everyone has more capacity than they think, and humans are really good at adapting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n When asked what are the biggest misconceptions she encounters about people experiencing homelessness, she said people often assume it\u2019s because of some personal failure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere has to be something I did wrong, right? The truth is it could be you, really easily,\u201d she said. \u201cAll it takes is one or two missed rent payments, and you\u2019re right here with me. It\u2019s enough things happening to you at once that you just can\u2019t fix.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n All at Once by Ray Sanchez & Kaitlyn McGlothlen Infographics by Lais Conceicao Unlike many people her age, Carla finds herself needing to take multiple naps a day, typically in her partner\u2019s car, just to feel well-rested. She is usually tired from the previous night spent in a nearby homeless shelter, where the surroundings are … <\/p>\n
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