Although I grew up in a small western town, my dream was to move to Hollywood and become an actress. Throughout my childhood, I sang in the choir and took advantage of every opportunity to act in school plays. I studied art and drama and earned my BFA at the American Musical Dramatic Academy in Los Angeles. Even before graduating I managed to get work acting and felt that I was well on my way to stardom!

I was not disillusioned into thinking that I could support myself as a beginning actress however, and worked other jobs to make ends meet. While working as a childcare counselor in a residential facility, I injured my back breaking up a fight between two children. I went on disability and shortly after was laid off. I did not know my rights and my disability ended. My only source of income was $200.00 a month on general relief and I was unable to pay my rent. I had no family or friends to lean on and so I went to live in my car. After 10 months of living in this situation my ankles became swollen and I had difficulty walking.

I did not lose sight of my dream and continued to go on auditions, even when I was living in my car. I saved my GR money and eventually checked into a cheap hotel. While staying in the hotel, I met a young woman who told me about a nonprofit in the area with drop-in counseling services.

That morning, I met with a counselor, who placed me into Languille Emergency Shelter at Good Shepherd Center. I was given a clean room and a warm bed in a secure building. It was a hand up and I gladly took it. The case manager at Languille taught me about tough love. She said, “I’m not here for you to like. We have a purpose in life. Don’t waste your time here.” I made sure I did everything – everything - in those six weeks that I was told. I was determined to find work and save money.

After spending six weeks at Languille, I moved to Good Shepherd Center’s Hawkes Transitional Residence. While I was still living at Hawkes, I continued to go on auditions and booked several jobs on TV shows. Soon I had enough saved for a deposit and first month’s rent in my very own apartment.

I think that God always allowed me to have just what I needed to survive. It took a lot of prayer and a lot of tears and at times it was a scary situation for me. I’m just grateful that Good Shepherd was there for me, to provide the love, the tools and the stability I needed to get back on my feet. I don’t know what would’ve happened to me if it were not for Good Shepherd Center.

 

Martha's Story

 

As a young girl I was very bright and in my sophomore year was voted most likely to succeed. I studied psychology, sociology and theology in college and I was off to a very promising career. No amount of education prepared me for being homeless. I'd never given much thought to the issue of homelessness until it happened to me.

I had a good job with a respectable company for most of my adult life. When they downsized I was one of the first to be laid off. Soon after, the company was relocated oversees and I saw many of my friends heading for the unemployment lines as well. That didn't make me feel any better. I was in my 50's; too young for retirement and too old to compete with the aggressive young college graduates that were willing to work for a fraction of what I had been making.

Unable to find work in my field, and told that I was overqualified for the jobs that I was applying for, I soon began lying about my education. Desperate, I became willing to work for minimum wage. I found a job at a fast food restaurant and moved from the apartment I had in mid-town to an inexpensive motel room in an undesirable neighborhood. Things spiraled downward and soon I found myself living in my car to be able to afford the gas to get to and from work. The cost of the motel room took a huge portion of my salary.

I parked my car close to McArthur Park where I had access to a toilet and running water. One of the women living at the park told me that a red van would come by with Good Shepherd Center painted on the side and that a nice nun would provide me with toiletries and a blanket just for asking. This is when I met Sr. Rosaline.

Sr. Rosaline gave me information about an emergency shelter known at Good Shepherd Center and encouraged me to make a phone call. Two weeks later I was offered a bed, 3 meals a day, and a program to help me move from homelessness toward independent living. Through the guidance and generosity of the staff at GSC my life began to spiral upward. I was given the assistance I needed to develop an impressive resume and soon found a job that was more in alignment to my chosen profession. Through an extensive program offered at the transitional shelter I was able to save enough money to move back to the neighborhood I left two years ago.

It is my goal to write a check to GSC so I can pass on a little of what was so generously given to me. I am told that I need to establish a safety net of a savings account first. Thank you Good Shepherd for giving me a "hand up" rather than a "hand out".

Before I came to live at Good Shepherd Center I was fearful and filled with rage. Although I tried to hide my feelings and not let my four year old son know how I felt, he became very emotional as well. He would throw temper tantrums and sometimes cry for no apparent reason. We had been sleeping on the streets, in hospital emergency rooms or sometimes riding the bus all night long to stay out of the cold. The day that Jack and I moved into Good Shepherd Center, I went to our room and cried with relief while my son sat and watched, not knowing what to do. I couldn't control myself.

The sisters and the case manger were very patient and kind with Jack and me. During the next few months we met several times with Dr. Sam who came to us from Children's Hospital to teach parenting skills and provide therapy for me and my son. He helped us deal with our anger and crying outbursts. Soon I was able to concentrate enough to take on the responsibilities of a mother and learn what I needed to do to provide for us.

The day we moved out of the Good Shepherd Center was a sad one for me because I felt I was leaving the only home in which Jack and I had felt any love. But I had to be strong for Jack. Now it was my time to provide the love and support for my son that had been mentored to me during our stay at the shelter. Jack just started first grade and he seems to be a happy and well adjusted child. I don't think this would have been possible without the support we received from Good Shepherd.

I was a well-paid professional and worked for the same organization for nearly 15 years. At 54 years of age, I was happy when they offered me severance pay and an opportunity to take early retirement. I hadn't had a vacation in years, so I took a much needed vacation before beginning the process of looking for another job. Soon I had used up my severance pay, my unemployment benefits, and was shocked when still I had not found a job.  I quickly went from being a professional with a stable job to homeless and in a deep depression. I never thought it could happen to me.

I heard stories of women living on skid row, sleeping on park benches, in the park or riding the bus all night. Thankfully I am one of the fortunate ones. I was given a referral to Good Shepherd Center.  The staff and the sisters were wonderful to me.  Soon the depression began to lift.  The case manager at the emergency shelter assisted me in applying for the benefits to which I was entitled due to my years of working.

During my stay at Good Shepherd Center I was able to save enough money to get my own apartment and begin to rebuild my life.  I am enrolled in an art class at the community college, something I did not have time for when I was a full time employee. Now, my life as a senior more closely resembles what I had always imagined, rather than what it could have been had I not been so fortunate to have had the help of Good Shepherd Center.

My mother meant the world to me!  We shared a home and I was employed by the state to be her caregiver. So when she died in August of 2008 I lost everything—my job, my home, and most importantly, my very best friend.  Since I no longer had a job I was soon unable to pay the rent.  I turned to my family for help. However they were all dealing with their own problems.  The best I was offered was the floor at my nephew’s apartment for a couple of weeks while I begged for donations to give my mother a proper burial.

I was a riding the bus in downtown Los Angeles, feeling alone and abandoned, when I struck up a conversation with a woman sitting next to me. Little did I know at the time, this lady was about to change my life.  She told me about a woman’s shelter called Good Shepherd Center. I called the number she gave me and spoke with Sr. Hannah, the case manger.  The next day I was admitted into their six week program. It was September 2008.

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In April, 2007, I went to live at Good Shepherd Center with all my possessions packed in a single black plastic trash bag. I was hungry, humiliated and beaten. Life had taken a toll on me. They told me it would get better, and I had to believe them. Hope was my most valuable possession.

Six weeks later I moved from the emergency shelter into Good Shepherd’s transitional shelter with a suitcase and my head held high. I had accomplished a great deal in 6 short weeks. Life held a promise of so much more than I ever dreamed possible!

A year and a half later I moved into my own apartment. This was the first time I had ever had a place of my own, and I felt like a teenager going off to college for the first time.  The main difference was that I had a job to go to the next day. I would not be here today if it were not for the support I received while I was at Good Shepherd Center. From the time I arrived and they gave me food to eat, to the day I left with a blanket, comforter and a few supplies to set up my new home, Good Shepherd was with me all the way!

I came to Los Angeles with my three children to flee a violent situation. A friend let us stay with her for a while but her landlord found out we were there and so we had to move out. We stayed in a hotel for a few nights but we were quickly running out of money. I was torn between being able to feed my children or paying for another night at the hotel.

I called 211 and they gave me the number for Good Shepherd Center. My children were so happy when Sister gave them some cookies to eat while I was in the interview. They had not eaten that day.

Having been in an abusive relationship for so long, I doubted my abilities as a mother. During the next few weeks, my parenting skills improved as a result of the weekly support groups provided by Dr. Sam. The case manager helped me to enroll my children in the area school. Although I had not worked in many years she helped me develop a resume based on life skills and my natural abilities. Soon I was able to get a job and begin the process of rebuilding our lives.

I wanted to give something back as soon as I received my first paycheck. I was told that the best way to give was to be an example to other women. The guidance I received from the staff at Good Shepherd Center enabled me to start a new life for us here in Los Angeles. Thank you for saving me and my children from the streets and giving us the love and support we so desperately needed.

I met a guy on the internet and he seemed like a really great person. I spent all my savings for a plane ticket to Los Angeles so we could be together. As it turned out, he was very controlling and after just a few days became abusive. I did not have any family or friends here and had no one to turn to. I was sitting alone in the park, crying, not knowing what to do when a kind lady with a kleenex sat down beside me. She told me that she had once been in a similar situation and gave me a phone number to call. She was very persistent and would not leave until I made the call.

On the phone I spoke to a case manager at Good Shepherd Center's emergency shelter. She said they had a bed available but that I needed to be there by 3:00 pm if I wanted it. I jumped at the opportunity! Living in a home with 29 other women was a bit intimidating. However I also felt that I had a built in support system and some direction. Some of the women were challenging to deal with but others were truly delightful. I soon realized that these were regular women just like me; not drug addicts and people with no ambition but women just like me that had made some bad choices.

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