ATLANTA — No one ever expects to be homeless, but for those who end up there, finding a place to call home can be a challenge.
“Some people are just fighting to get out of this, but one thing one learned is that once you’re in it, it’s hard to get out,” Lily said.
We are concealing Lily’s identity because she fears if people know of her situation, she could lose opportunities. Lily used to work in corporate America, but after a series of health issues and a car crash, she found herself on the streets without a place to call home.
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“As they say, you’re one paycheck away, and that’s what happened to me,” Lily said.
However, Lily is trying to get back on her feet. She works nearly every week at a retail store and keeps up her appearance through a wardrobe she keeps stored in a storage locker.
Every night, she sleeps in a tent at a nearby parking lot.
“It’s a daily struggle,” Lily said. “Trying to get housing has been a nightmare. My process started a year ago, and it has been one obstacle after another.”
Lily has already exhausted many temporary housing solutions available to homeless people. Last August, she said she started the process to qualify for a housing voucher.
What follows involves a web of departments and agencies.
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According to Lily, she first went to Mercy Care. Her case manager there referred Lily to Georgia’s Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities because she has a mental disability.
The department has an office focused on helping people in that situation (you can check it out here and does have a state-funded housing voucher program of its own. However, all of the state spots are currently used. Thankfully, the department also works with Georgia’s Department of Community Affairs. The DCA works with HUD to provide housing vouchers to Georgians.
Individuals like Lily referred by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities are given priority status for housing vouchers with the DCA. However, applicants must follow federal rules to qualify.
Lily is still going through the process with DCA because getting some documentation has been a struggle. It is still unclear if or when she will qualify for a program providing housing assistance.
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“I’m told it’s almost over, and then I turn around, and it’s three months later,” Lily said. “It means one more night out here risking my life. I have been assaulted. I have woken up with a man waking up right next to me.,
And that is the concern, that despite the efforts to maintain appearance and lead a normal life, an actual home is needed to try and move forward.
“It means safety and security,” Lily said. “I can do the things I need to do so I don’t need public assistance for the rest of my life because this isn’t what I want.”
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